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I call bullshit

by on August 20, 2009, in Internet, jump aboard the crazy train, media, memes

I saw this linked from Rex’s blog and decided to give it a try. I figured using my married name, Megan Morris, would yield more results of people most definitely not me since I haven’t had much time to infiltrate the interwebs with my shenanigans under my new name yet.

I was mostly right, though one of the blurbs that popped up did find a somewhat correct version of me.

I call bullshit

I call bullshit

I figured I would try again using my maiden name, and expected the search to result in a mostly correct graph, as an ego search usually yields plenty of links to items that are most certain about or by me.

Boy was I wrong. Nothing, not one damn thing, that popped up on the screen was related to me or any of the results you’d get if you plugged in “Megan Goodchild,” with or without the quotes in your own search of my name.

I call bullshit

Incredulous, I tried again. Still nothing, though the graph looks distinctly different this time. The same blurbs had popped up on the screen, so I am not sure why the program decided to give more weight to other items this time.

I call bullshit

Obviously this is not an exact science, and interpreting the results of this graph as identity, persona, who you are, etc., is faulty logic anyway. This isn’t who I am, it’s who my name is. Which in itself is a little disconcerting, as we identify so strongly with our names.

And while I’m not Megan Morris the sports enthusiast, I am also not Megan Goodchild the bookworm.

I am, apparently, unidentifiable. And I rather like it.

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Let's just run with the idea

by on February 12, 2009, in blogging, jump aboard the crazy train, memes, stupid assholes, writing

So today I was thinking some more about the whole “I don’t want to read 25 things about my friends because my friends are all boring assholes that suck” reaction that Claire Suddath (and some other people) had to the Facebook meme.

I also thought a little bit about how, when I hear people say stupid shit, I have a tendency to blog about it out of spite. Well, not really spite. More because I feel like if you’re going to say or do something stupid, I’m going to call you out on it. Most of the time.

And then I thought about how I really haven’t been blogging much lately.

Hmm… there has to be some way I can meld those two things together…

Oh, I’ve got it!

I’m going to try to blog every day at least three times a week—each post being an entry in a new and ongoing 25 Things About Me list. I will try not to repeat things I have said before, too. (“Try” being the operative word here. I’m really not all that interesting.)

So to start things off, why don’t I just toot my own horn a little. Don’t worry, I’m sure there will be plenty of self-deprecation to come:

No. 1: I can be obsessive about sentence structure. Give me some sentences that are super short or don’t flow right or maybe don’t make any damn sense at all and I will try my damnest to magically fix them up into a glorious string of sensical words that are super easy to read. I feel that this is a strength of mine. (Obviously, or I wouldn’t be freaking telling you guys.)

Sometimes I sit down to write and the words just flow like holy water from my brain, through my fingers, onto the keyboard and into a story. But most of the time I jot down a bunch of thoughts as I comb through notes and then go back later to make them make sense.

I realize this admission is inviting you to comb through this blog and find an assload of sentences that have slang, are partially or poorly formed, or don’t really seem to make much sense. But that’s intentional—it’s in accordance with the style in which I write on this here blog. This is where I come to vomit up whatever is on my mind, not worry about how easy it is for people to read.

But professionally? I can form the shit out of a sentence.

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Because I believe oversharing is the key

by on February 10, 2009, in blogging, Internet, jump aboard the crazy train, memes, waxing creative

I recently came across a Time.com article dissing the recent Facebook 25 Things meme in which people post a note with, you guessed it, 25 random things about themselves.

“But it’s just so stupid,” whines the article’s author, Claire Suddath (I can’t help but wonder if this is the same whiny Claire Suddath who wrote for the Nashville Scene years ago).

What’s stupid, actually, is joining a giant social network like Facebook and then bitching about learning random, pointless pieces of data about your “friends.”

I wonder if Claire holds her real-life friends to the same “Only speak to me when you have something that I am sure to deem interesting” standards.

Personally, I love oversharing. I have a blog, obviously. And a Twitter account. And a Facebook account. And there’s not much I won’t tell you about myself if you just ask. Granted there are personal pieces of information I don’t just offer up online (the interwebs are full of weirdos, after all), but when it comes to the random, weird or mundane, I’m an open book.

This short post by the astute Brittney Gilbert hits the nail on the head.

Though the rewards might be few and far between, there is something to be said for sharing bits and pieces of yourself with the world. And getting glimpses into others’ lives—glimpses that you would never, ever be privy to if you were limited to phone or in-person conversations because there are always certain things that individuals will reveal about themselves only in writing. And if you bother to read between the lines of the mundane, random or weird, you’ll see that even at our most boring we all have shades of intrigue.

It’s a shame Claire Suddath is missing out on that.

Comments { 9 }

Mememememememememe

by on March 21, 2008, in memes

Well, Klinde tagged me for a meme and caught me on a good night! I’m back home in bed after a short night out, feeling kinda crappy but not crappy enough to go to sleep. So here goes:

You take each line and replace it with a single word of your choosing. Yes, just one word!!
Afterward, tag seven folks…

You’re feeling: sickly
To your left: pillow
On your mind: friendships
Last meal included: burrito
You sometimes find it hard to: rest
The weather: changing
Something you have a collections of: Macs
A smell that cheers you up: rain
A smell that can ruin your mood: mold
How long since you last shaved: days
The current state of your hair: messy
The largest item on your desk right now (besides computer): subwoofer
Your skill with chopsticks: none
Which section you head to first in the bookstore: reference
And after that?: foreign
Something you are craving: relief
Your general thoughts on the presidential race: wearisome
How many times have you been hospitalized this year: none
A favorite place to go for quiet time: bed
You’ve always secretly thought you’d be a good: photographer (with the right training)
Something that freaks you out a little: mayonnaise
Something you’ve eaten too much of lately: Uro-blue
You have never: golfed
You never want to: die

Ok, now for my seven people:
Summer
Cole
Colleen
Devon
Brandy
Lesley
Lindsey

Go!!

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Christmas Meme Time!

by on December 18, 2007, in jump aboard the crazy train, memes

I wasn’t technically tagged, but I think Laura opened this meme up as a free-for-all on her site. So ha!

1. Wrapping or gift bags?
Wrapping, though I suck at it. One of my cats (Gordo) has this thing for tissue paper and if he hears it crinkle somewhere in the house he goes absolutely apeshit and will TEAR YOUR FACE OFF if you’re trying to keep him from eating it. So, no gift bags.

2. Real or artificial tree?
Well, I haven’t been able to have a tree since Gordo is a fucking looney and tried to climb and kill the ornaments of the one I put up when he was younger. But I’d like to try again in the next year or so. I’d love to get a real tree, but I have a feeling we might have to go with a fake.

3. When do you put up the tree?
If I had one, I’d put it up the Friday after Thanksgiving. Unless it was a real one. Then I’d wait until about two weeks before Christmas because my dad made me paranoid about the lights catching on fire in a dry tree and burning the whole house down.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Again, if I had one, I’d take it down a day or two after Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Hell no. That shit is gross.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
My Nintendo Entertainment System!!!!

7. Do you have a Nativity scene?
No, I don’t really associate Christmas with Jesus. Heathen, I know, but come on. It’s all about the presents and the spending time with family and friends. Jesus left the building a long time ago.

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I would never talk bad about a gift someone gave me. I’m happy just to receive a gift.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail, though I’ve severely slacked on them this year.

10. Favorite Christmas movie?
Charlie Brown Christmas and The Snowman

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Despite my best intentions, I usually end up starting two weeks before Christmas and continuing the mad rush until Christmas Eve.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Clementines!!!!

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
Colored on inside trees, white lights if it’s outside.

14. Favorite Christmas song?
Carol of the Bells and/or Greensleeves

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I usually stay home for the holiday itself (well, go to Ian’s mom’s house across town)

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen? And Rudolph? Is that right? I’m not googling it and cheating. You tell me.

17. Angel on tree top or star?
Hmm, neither. I would try to come up with something unique instead.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
When I was a kid, we would celebrate with my mom’s side of the family Christmas Eve, but when we got back home we’d get to open one from under the tree. Then we’d open the rest of our presents–and those from Santa–Christmas Day. Now, Ian and I usually open ours Christmas Eve (if we can even wait that long), and then go celebrate with his mom Christmas Day and open more!

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
The people who try to act like Christmas is the only holiday this time of year (thanks for wishing me Merry Christmas, but how do you know I celebrate it?), or people who think that you can’t enjoy the holiday with family and friends (and presents!) if you’re not Christian. I am not Christian, but I still love Christmastime. I don’t associate Jesus with Christmas at all. It’s a time of warmth and love for me, and has nothing to do with shoving religion in other people’s faces.

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color?
Ew. Lame.

21. What do you leave for Santa?
A note that says “Steal my shit you’re dead, fat man.” I mean, come on. A fat dude breaking in my house to leave me shit? We have seven Macs, four iPods, a nice TV and lots of booze. You’re telling me he’s not going to be tempted to lift something?

22. Least favorite holiday song?
Mele Kilikimaka – omg I’m leaving Laura’s answer. This song BLOWS.

23. Favorite ornament?
My mom still has all my ornaments from when I was a kid, and I don’t think I’ll ever ask for them until I know my cats won’t ruin them. I haven’t seen them in a while so I can’t remember all of them, but I do know that my favorite when I was little was this little nest with two doves in it. Also, I had a Kermit the Frog on a sleigh that I loved. Damn, now I want to get my mom to take pictures of all the ornaments for me.

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Interview!

by on August 8, 2007, in blogging, life etc., memes, music is like air, but for my ears, video games

In this meme, Laura was kind enough to interview me—again (She’s my boss, so technically this is the second time she’s interviewed me.) I think she probably knows way more about me than she ever wanted to, but here goes:

It starts like this:
Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.” I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. If you don’t have a valid email address on your blog, please provide one. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Here are my questions from Laura:

1. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up, and why?
Up until the fourth grade, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I’m sure every kid wants to one that until they realize they’d actually have to cut on animals, and I’m no exception. I also had a secret dream of being a video game tester, but figured out pretty early on that if I made video-game testing a career I would probably get burnt out. But honestly, for as long as I can remember thinking about a serious career, I’ve wanted to be a writer in some form or fashion. I’ve always just wanted to write. So, you know, score one for me.

2. Tell us about your favorite trip ever.
Hands down it’s the time I spent in Spain. I was in Madrid and Segovia for the summer of 2003 to study, and I lived with a family the whole time (well, except for the first week, which was spent in a dormitory in Madrid). Let me tell you, I worked my ass off to be able to go (worked 80 hours a week Monday thru Friday for the six months preceding the trip to be able to afford tuition plus pay my bills while I was gone), and I know that helped me appreciate it more. Way more than some of the spoiled-ass hoes that were in the program with me. (There were about five cool people there. The rest were tools. Stupid Americans. My roommate and I made the best decision of the whole trip when we chose to separate ourselves from most of the group.)

I had so much fun, living and learning there and speaking only in Spanish as much as I could—my language comprehension and speaking skills improved 100-fold while I was there. I was lucky that my roommate wanted to speak as much Spanish as possible—and also that when she was in high school she had a foreign exchange student in her class from Madrid. We hung out with Josú quite a lot while we were in Spain and got a lot of the true native experience. We did not travel like tourists.

This trip came at such an important time in my personal life, and I got to experience so many different and exciting things there. It was such a freeing, life-changing experience. I soaked up every bit of it, and to this day I can remember how it smelled. It was a time of recovery, and my memories of it are so dear to me.

3. If you could only pick one, music or books, for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Gah, that’s a hard one. But I’m going to have to say music. I couldn’t live without it. I associate so many times in my life with certain songs or types of music, and at times it’s been the only thing to keep me going. Good music is more important to me than good food.

4. Favorite video game ever, and why.
Oh my god. I can’t believe you asked me this. It’s like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. I’m going to cheat a little and pick two. My favorite game for nostalgic reasons is The Legend of Zelda. So much of my elementary-aged soul went into this game, and I swear I still have dreams set to the music. Anyone who played this as a child, I dare you to deny the same is true for you.

My favorite adult game is probably Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, even though I’ve never finished it. But in my defense, it is really fucking long. It’s basically endless. But it’s so free in regards to what you can do in the game, and I love the atmosphere and graphics in the game. It appeals to my inner elf/fairy/druid/dragon warrior. (God damn I’m a geek.)

5. If my friends could see me now…..would your high-school teachers be surprised to see you today? Why or why not
I think my high school teachers would think two things: “I knew she would be doing well” and “She’s not in therapy?”

My relationship with my dad had totally fallen apart by the time high school rolled around, and there were two teachers who really kept me together by acting like therapists way more than they ever had to. They recognized that getting out of my house and moving far away was the key to my survival, and I don’t know that I would have made it out alive without their support. Most of the time they just listened and offered kind words of encouragement, but in a time where I was being beaten down (both physically and emotionally) at every turn, they kept me believing that I could get through it all.

I think they knew me pretty well, and knew that I would flourish once I moved out on my own.

Ok, who’s next?!

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Happiness Challenge | Aug. 2

by on August 2, 2007, in happy happy joy joy, memes, my cat's cooler than yours, photography

Happiness Challenge | Aug. 2

Wall of fluff

Originally uploaded by Megan_G.

Waking up to this purring file of fluff snuggled up to me definitely makes me happy. Especially since most mornings she chooses Ian as her target. This morning she was purring hard next to me, and when I stirred she grabbed my hand with both paws and pulled it tight next to her face.

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Happiness Challenge

by on August 1, 2007, in blogging, happy happy joy joy, life etc., memes

I’ve decided to participate in a meme going around called the Happiness Challenge. I heard about it on Nashville is Talking, though they heard about it through Big Orange Michael. The challenge is basically to post once a day, if possible, about something that makes you happy. I predict that some of my posts will be of substance, some will be pretty fluffy, and I won’t post every day.

For me, it’s fitting that this challenge is talking place in August, because the month I once cursed for its crappy-hot weather and lack of good holidays holds two significant events for me this year. First, at the end of August (I’ll have to dig around to find the exact date, but it’s somewhere around the last week) it will be 10 years that I have lived in Tennessee. In Murfreesboro. Ten years ago I moved down here from Chicago to start college at MTSU. Ten years ago I found freedom from so much that was hurting me.

Also, Friday, Aug. 3, marks the one year anniversary of my surgery. It has been a long, difficult and at times painful recovery (I don’t think I could really count myself totally recovered until this spring, really), but I feel like I have (sorry to sound cliche here) gained so much from the experience—and not just a chance at physical normalcy.

So, being grateful for coming out on the other side of a recovery where for weeks I couldn’t lift anything, drive or hardly even walk, I am happy to give a nod to random things that make me happy throughout the month.

And, since today is Aug. 1, I’ll start with an obvious one: Ian. I originally had a paragraph here about why he’s awesome, but as I was getting ready to leave I told him I’d blogged about him and he gave me a weird look. So, to avoid embarassing him or whatever he was thinking, I’ll just say this: He makes me happy.

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I could never be a Simpson

by on July 12, 2007, in hahahahaha, Internet, memes, movies, TV, WTF?

Ian’s avatar turned out much better, even though he looks like he’s 12. But that’s better than looking like a 40-year-old shemale, which is what mine looks like.
I could never be a SimpsonI could never be a Simpson

You just can’t accurately animate awesomeness like us, I guess.

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Thumbelina

by on April 15, 2007, in memes


You Are the Thumb
Thumbelina

You’re unique and flexible. And you defy any category.
Mentally strong and agile, you do things your own way. And you do them well.
You are a natural leader… but also truly a loner. You inspire many but connect with few.

You get along well with: The Middle Finger

Stay away from: The Pinky
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