DogfightAtBankstown

star-trekking across the blogiverse

Always amuses me how people categorize me and my blog.  I have such a collection of boxes now, a clown in every one.

The latest from Ken Parish at Club Troppo:

Saint in a Straitjacket is a pugnacious blogger who writes from a right wing christian perspective

Translation:

Saint believes Gaia is not god and Al is not her prophet.  (Al is, however, looking a bit like a fat Buddha lately.)

(Image: TechLuver)

The force be with you Obey One Kenobi.

eek!

You Are a Colon

You are very orderly and fact driven. You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue. You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched. You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions. Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice. (But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!) You excel in: Leadership positions You get along best with: The Semi-Colon

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

I'd rather bypass the euphemism and just be a dash.

no, no, not an engineer

INTPs are logical, individualistic, reserved, and very curious individuals. They focus on ideas, theories and the explanation of how things work. They are especially adept at discussions and debate. They have the ability to focus intently on a subject. They appreciate and respect intelligence in others.

I don't care how things work. As long as they do what they are supposed to do. And I preferred Cervelan to Avon and prefer wisdom to intelligence.

"likes solitude, not revealing, unemotional, rule breaker, avoidant, familiar with the darkside, skeptical, acts without consulting others"

Well, maybe I am familiar with the darkside.  Given the time at which I am posting this.

But to prove that I do consult with others, what's your personality type?

And what should mine be?

which ancient language are you?

     Your Score: Akkadian        

 You are Akkadian, a blend of the incomprehensible symbols of the Sumerians with the unwritable sounds of the early Semitic peoples. However, the writing just doesn't suit the words and doesn't represent everything needed, so you end up a schizoid mess. Invented in Babylon, you're probably to blame for that tower story. However, crazy as you are, you're much loved and appreciated, and remain actively in use by records keepers long after schools have switched to other languages.    

Link: The Which Ancient Language Are You Test written by imipak

so...

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast   Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island.  Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Chances are, if someone from New York heard me speak, they probably wouldn't understand my accent.

well it is tuesday

You're The Guns of August!
by Barbara Tuchman
Though you're interested in war, what you really want to know is what causes war. You're out to expose imperialism, militarism, and nationalism for what they really are. Nevertheless, you're always living in the past and have a hard time dealing with what's going on today. You're also far more focused on Europe than anywhere else in the world. A fitting motto for you might be "Guns do kill, but so can diplomats."
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Via Pavlov's Dog.

fabulous

You are Iron Man

Iron Man 90% Hulk 80% Spider-Man 80% Green Lantern 75% Superman 65% Supergirl 60% Robin 50% The Flash 50% Catwoman 45% Batman 40% Wonder Woman 25%

Inventor. Businessman. Genius.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Hello, my name is Tony and I am an alcoholic.

mutter mutter mutter

Mutter mutter mutter I am going to ignore Jez mutter mutter mutter I hate memes mutter mutter mutter I am going to ignore Jez mutter mutter mutter oh alright then

Seven Things To Do Before I Die
1) Live
2) Love Port Power supporters (or Arsenal when living in London)
3) Live in a rambling house with my own library and a private beach (yes I am very selfish like that)
4) Read a decent Australian novel more than twice in my life.
5) Discover a new colour
6) Become wise
7) Learn jazz piano

Seven Things I Cannot Do
1) Remember. Nope. Not even what day it is.
2) Walk away from Christ. Believe me I've tried.
3) Make decent couscous. It doesn't matter what I do, it comes out as an inedible mush.
4) Find the time. Ever. It's very frustrating.
5) Be punctual when meeting friends.
6) Eat baked beans. Euuuurrggghh.
7) Drink Fosters. Euuuuurrrrggghh.

Seven Things That Attract Me to Europe
1) Canberra
2) Singapore
3) Being able to drive through four countries in the time it would take me to drive to my brother's.
4) Prague
5) Dark hair and green eyes
6) My favourite cousins
7) Summer on the Mediterranean coast anywhere east of France.

Seven Things I Say
1) You banana (term of affection)
2) You lemonhead (term of derision)
3) *** *** ** **** *** ********(driving term)
4) Sorry I'm late (story of my life)
5) I need a holiday (other story of my life)
6) No sweat (did I mention our summers?)
7) Please and thank you (hat tip: mum)

Seven Good Books
1) Genesis
2) Judges
3) Isaiah
4) Job
5) Jonah
6) Luke-Acts
7) Hebrews
Easy. And plenty more where they came from.

Seven Good Movies
Or who said I wasn't a nostalgia junkie?
1) Babette's Feast
2) Blade Runner (European theatrical release, dubbed in German and with the voiceovers thank you very much.)
3) The Man who would be King
4) Les Enfants du Paradis
5) Parakalo Yinekes Min Klete
6) The Women (the classically catty 1939 version)
7) On the Waterfront (because the lady was a Saint)

Seven Blogs To Tag
Heh. Not me. I have few enough friends as it is.

That's 6543 beers you now owe me Jez.

Images: Nostalgia Central, NiteSpyder

since you asked

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Saint in a straitjacket!

1. Humans have 46 chromosomes, peas have 14, and saint in a straitjacket has 7.
2. Only one child in twenty will be born on the day predicted by saint in a straitjacket.
3. 99 percent of the pumpkins sold in the US end up as saint in a straitjacket.
4. All shrimp are born as saint in a straitjacket, but gradually mature into females.
5. Saint in a straitjacket can squeeze his entire body through a hole the size of his beak!
6. Saint in a straitjacket has 118 ridges around the edge!
7. Saint in a straitjacket has a bifurcated penis!
8. New Zealand was the first place to allow saint in a straitjacket to vote!
9. Neil Armstrong first stepped on saint in a straitjacket with his left foot.
10. Saint in a straitjacket has often been found swimming miles from shore in the Indian Ocean.

I am interested in - do tell me abouthimheritthem

Via Pavlov's Cat.

i know you've always wanted to see

A picture of me at work.

deadly sins and dire saints

You are... WAIT! - you're none of the Sins you're
an Angel! Perfect, or close enough, and annoyingly so! Did
you always behave so 'just right'. ARGHHH . You can annoy the
hell outta people with your attitude, but no doubt your church
is real happy with you. The positive side certainly outweighs the
negative, after all, you do chores, are smart, are cute, do
charity work. Least you know what a perfect saint you are. You
just make the rest of us sinners vomit. Perhaps you could break the
rules once in a while, go wild - Eat an extra cookie or something.
However - congratulations on being the most pure, of the entire
human race.

?? Which Of The Seven Deadly Sins Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

Sadly I'm no longer a saint, not even a saint who's lost their mojo Ms Cynic.  And being a human, I can't even get relegated to a gooey Hallmark angel.

No.

I've been booted out.

Again.

But I still have my straitjacket.

Maybe I can run off naked and screaming with this lot instead.
 

it's official

I'm the "perfect" Centrist.
Rejoice Australia, I am the product of the public education system and I'm not a Trotskist.
Although I still have no moral order.  Eeek!

Your Score

Your scored 0 on the Moral Order axis and -0.5 on the Moral Rules axis.

Matches

The following items best match your score:

1. System: Conservatism, Liberalism                             
2. Variation: Moderate Conservatism, Moderate Liberalism                             
3. Ideologies: Capital Republicanism, Capital Democratism                             
4. US Parties: Democratic Party                             
5. Presidents: Gerald Ford (88.95%)                             
6. 2004 Election Candidates: John Kerry (85.18%), Ralph Nader (72.67%), George W. Bush (70.27%)                             

Statistics

Of the 35213 people who took the test:

1. 2.3% had the same score as you.
2. 29.9% were above you on the chart.
3. 58.1% were below you on the chart.
4. 28% were to your right on the chart.
5. 60% were to your left on the chart.

Others

1. Want to understand more what this all means? Then start with the Overview and step through the pages by clicking Next.
2. For President and Candidates, the percentage measures the distance between you and them where 100% is a perfect overlap and 0% is the longest possible distance.
3. If you overlap two regions, they are both listed. So if you see both Liberalism and Conservatism, you are a "perfect" Centrist.

See how other Aussies scored on the Moral Politics Test.

Via the very Canadian, Bene Diction.

i've been tagged

By that man of action, who writes the scrumptiously creative Spiceblog with the latin tag line I can't decipher.  But he sure can add class to my bogan prediliction for banana and bacon jaffles. Just add egg!

My task is here.  My first meme.

1. Total amount of music files on your computer?
Zip. Nada. Zilch. There is also a distinct lack of small electrical appliances and techno gadgets in my household.  That will also give you an idea of my tastes and my technical ability.

2. CD you last bought?

Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
and
Britten: Peter Grimes - London Sympony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis

Yeah, the assistant looked at me a bit funny too.

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?

Buscando Güayaba Ruben Blades.

Panamian lawyer by trade, musican by choice, sometime actor in between. Almost president of Panama in 1994 and King of the New York sound. Best known for salsa contaminated with rock'n'roll, synthesizers and a social conscience.  At his best when he's got a bad case of love sickness or goes looking for Guava. Yes you can scat a solo de boca and yes, I've long ago proved I can't break on the two. But it's still fun trying.

4. 5 songs you often listen to, or which mean a lot to you?

• Beethoven's Symphony No.4/Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)  - CD3 from the boxed set of Beethoven's Symphonies, Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle conducting.  Not played enough on radio.  Getting a bit overplayed by me in recent times. 
  
  
• What a little moonlight can do - Kristen Cornwell.
  A breezy, effortless, quietly groovy interpretation of a jazz standard by an Aussie vocalist and her band. It's a good mood song. From her debut album  Sea Journey.  She's finally released her second album Spiral which I am yet to procure. And she has just moved to Belgium. Damn.


• Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
  Not just the song, the entire album. I was once told I was too young to like Van Morrison.  I guess that's why I also can't wax lyrical about Dylan.  Given this album is sometimes described as Dylanesque, maybe I can hang out with that crowd and pretend to know what's in the wax.  One reviewer noted that Morrison became a legend by making this album and refusing to smile for 30 nearly 40 years. I like it because it comes packaged with lots of memories, like why I went on holiday once and forgot to come back for a few Astral Years.
  
• One Love (album) - Bob Marley and the Wailers
  Just to remind me of a summer, where a friend and I hooned around the local beaches, cafes and pubs in a beat up, smokin' Mini Moke which my friend's brother had put together by salvaging the least-rusted worn out parts of two other barely-together Mini Mokes and binding them together with coathanger wire. It had a cassette player. The only cassettes we had were this album and something from Billy Joel (left in one of the cars?).  Billy got the flick and this was it.  Mandatory playing at warp factor five when engine running. Backing vocals by driver and passenger optional but frequently practiced at top of lungs. We turned heads, dodged cops, got sunburnt, dive-bombed off jetties (well I did), danced on tables and preceded every dumb-arsed car ad on TV today by more than a few years. The car understandably fell apart at the end of summer. As has every summer since. It hailed yesterday.
  
• Nessun Dorma  from Puccini's Turandot
  I had heard this aria many times without it having any significance. Until one morning while driving in peak hour traffic it took on a whole new meaning...but that's a long story.

5. Who are you going to pass this on to and why?

Al - because like me, he's another enigmatic South Australian. We do enigmatic good here.  Update: Augh. Al has disappeared leaving a blog with just a correction on it. Is it a technical fault? Is he being threatened with legal action? Has he just run away to join the human race. Hope nothing is seriously wrong.  Well, I think I will pass this on to Stan, as I know Al is blog friends with C.L. who is blog friends with Stan or something like that. And Stan needs a break from creating that supra Pacific Aussie Federation - does all that nation building make Stan a fan of world music I wonder?

Big Johnny - because like Anthony, he's another gentleman of the blogosphere and he's the only person who has made me "watch" reality TV. I reckon he can convince me to listen to anything on his list in the same way Anthony convinces me I should taste everything he cooks.

Fabian  - because he has a self-confessed taste for the new, weird and the eclectic. And you would need something like that after overdosing on my mediocrity.

que?

Well of course you are going to find my blog by searching for "millionaire in european currency with email contacts 2005",

Because that is exactly what I am.

Not.

In any case I think it was a trawler that registered that hit on my site.

Is everyone else enjoying some interesting labelling in the blogosphere?

Me thinks there are lots and lots of busy little trawlers trollers at work today.

self denial

It's Friday

Being an Aussie blogger, I'm supposed to post a photo of my cat.

But I don't have a photo of the cat.

Even if I did, I don't have a scanner or similar to upload photo of said cat.

Besides which the cat is dead.

Perhaps I am in denial:

The cat died years ago.

But her food bowl still sits on the verandah.

Looks like I'm in denial about this blog too:

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few.

What kind of blogger are you?

I'm really not a pundit you know.  And this is a lousy blog.

It's just that, as Rowen points out, some people like to put you in a box.

The Completely Pointless Personality Quiz

Oops.

So to get the best of all worlds on this Friday night, I invite you  to classify this blog. And tell me: Who am I? Why am I here? Why is that person laughing at me?

Because,

I need an 'About Me' page.

Oh, and a picture of my dead cat.

mistaken identity

You are Form 2, Angel: The Pure.

"And The Angel rose as holy protector for
all that was created. She fought with honor
and valor to serve the good of the world. But
the coming of the mankind was her downfall; and
end to purity."

Some examples of the Angel Form are Michael
(Christian) and Hercules (Greek).
The Angel is associated with the concept of virtue,
the number 2, and the element of wind.
Her sign is the zenith sun.

As a member of Form 2, you are a person of your
word. You generally keep your promises and
give everything you do your best. Although
some people see you as overbearing sometimes,
you know that you have to stay true to yourself
and do what's right. Angels are the best
friends to have because they are brutally
honest.

And if Form 2 were true, it might also explain the straitjacket: I'd be a figment of my imagination.

Which Mythological Form Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
via Drama Queen

i just realised

I turned one last Monday.

Or rather this blog turned one.

And I realised that I have never posted an about page.

Well I have told you a little bit about me and a little bit about this blog.

But I haven't told you anything about my name.

Actually it's quite a long story.
And a bit of a pointless one too.

So maybe another time.

the name on the ballot

So I have been trying to work out how I will vote in the upcoming federal election - whenever it finally happens.

Desparate, I sought help with the political party preference indicator .

And guess what I was told:

saint, Your ideal job is a Prime Minister.

Well actually, I was told that by the Job Predictor.
And, if truth be told, when I opted for full disclosure of my identity, I was told:

saint in a straitjacket, Your ideal job is a Bearded Lady in the circus.

Well if this would be my big-top....

Parliament House, Canberra

Then I can be a bearded lady and look rather prime-minister-like don't you think?

Photo: Charles Eisenmann.
From the book by Michael Mitchell
Source: Drink Me

So maybe I should be looking to put my name on the ballot paper.

Hmm.

I'll just go off and get acquainted with the Governor-General now.

on the inside

Am I:

S	Sensitive
A	Astonishing
I	Ideal
N	Noisy
T	Tender

Or am I really:

S	Simple
A	Altruistic
I	Innocent
N	Noisy
T	Twisted
I	Inspirational
N	Natural
A	Amazing
S	Spiritual
T	Timeless
R	Rare
A	Astounding
I	Industrious
T	Twisted
J	Juicy
A	Awesome
C	Controversial
K	Kind
E	Emotional
T	Tender

I'm in a straitjacket, remember. So I guess that puts me in the same league as this dude.

Brings new meaning to the words tender and twisted.

Name / Username:

Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com

Links from Boynton and Jezblog, blogs worth reading.

i don't do cheese

Your name is: saint in a straitjacket
Your cheese rating is: Meira

Meira is a traditional Iraqi cheese, made from sheeps milk. The curds are cut into strips and matured in a sheepskin bag for between 6 and 12 months.

Sounds like me at work: deprived of sunlight, juggling a million deadlines for a project.

Hmm, if my name were jarlsberg, my cheese rating would be edam.

Yep, that sounds like where I work too: no rhyme or reason for anything.

What's your cheese rating?

From The Cheese Stands Alone who I found through fellow local blogger, Drama Queen.

Drama Queen? That's gotta be my boss.

So now you know why I haven't been blogging much lately.

That and the fact that these days, the average distance between me and my personal computer is over a thousand kilometres.

saint

saint is proclaimed
saint is born
saint is gone
saint is *not* dead
saint is about listening and seeking god's will
saint is a leading ladies fashion retailer
saint is back
saint is top lady bulldog
saint is a true scientist
saint is born in chimἢr> saint is born previous unholy writs
saint is gone date
saint is a great emulator but
saint is like a tree
saint is here
saint is seven traffic lights down on the left side
saint is located at 601 main street in historic asbury park
saint is the literary creation of author leslie charteris
saint is behind a firewall
saint is an atari
saint is a *large* project
saint is any person who is very good
saint is capable of providing composite analysis from various systems and processes whether it or paper based
saint is expected to shun worldliness
saint is not the same as the bible's
saint is very popular throughout umbria
saint is used to describe any christian believer
saint is unconscious of it himself
saint is a new political thriller/romance starring kilmer and elisabeth shue and is allegedly based on the original novels by leslie charteris
saint is going to make a gazillion dollars at the box office
saint is an industrial/goth artist based in nj
saint is known across gt for his great sense of humor
saint is an original new program that helps learners
saint is not chained by the fetters of rituals
saint is a sinner who never gave up swami kriyananda
saint is in contact with numerous other southern african manufacturers and can supply products as diverse as
saint is in venice when he happens upon a young girl being attacked
saint is more of a character
saint is probably 7
saint is a computer system for integrating
saint is a compromise
saint is called canonization
saint is saved
saint is a person who is leading or has led a life of heroic virtue
saint is neil the martini drinking saint from the tv show topper
saint is the security administrator's integrated network tool
saint is a person who has left
saint is compassionate
saint is in common parlance one who invokes the saint daily and frequents celebrations
saint is someone who
saint is ever victorious for his victories leaves none vanquished behind
saint is the most amazing porno star
saint is a flexible
saint is a holy person
saint is one who is able to teach others the path to god
saint is watchable thanks to kilmer and shue
saint is more grueling than being one
saint is now the first project scope of saog
saint is a vast
saint is an original new program that helps learners organise their study notes
saint is a former human being
saint is a well
saint is one of the newest gifts hollywood has to offer
saint is a good thing
saint is not
saint is 'i didn't know it would get so big'
saint is a great responsibility
saint is a
saint is a great product
saint is
saint is unwelcome here and that the best thing for him is to leave
saint is thomas paine
saint is suspect
saint is also reminiscent of generic bond type movies in its claiming a link with modern science without bothering to show that it has the faintest idea of
saint is the worst evil

Googlism.
There ain't no sanity clause for it.
And sometimes there are no words for me either.

me vs nihilism

I'm not Catholic but there are some good Catholic blogs out there that I enjoy. Amy Welborn's Open Book is a favourite.

Today she links to a review of a new book on Flannery O'Connor. A commenter named 'Kath' responds, and not without support:

Glad to see her getting some attention. Justa wonderin'. I'm most of the way through "The Habit of Being" after being convinced, by reading her stories, that Flan is a saint. THoB only confirms my suspiciions, and is possibly the most important book I've read (other than the Bible) in my LIFE!

My question: Is there any cause for her sainthood? Any Flan miracles out there? I know the whole sainthood questions seems odd, as so few people "get" her -- but man-o-man she oughtta be canonized

Hey, over here!

Flannery O'Connor wrote your book.
Not much escapes your notice.

Which Author's Fiction are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Am I getting warm?

charles 1

The imperial saint.

The Vatican on Saturday attributed a miracle to the last emperor of Austria-Hungary, paving the way for the eventual beatification and sainthood of Charles I.

Pope John Paul II presided over the ceremony, which was attended by some of Charles' heirs. Beatification requires evidence of a miracle after the person's death and is the last formal step before possible sainthood.

Dang.

Missed out again.

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

meet my therapist

You may think it odd for someone in a straitjacket to be complaining about the twisted minds of modern artists and related sick puppies.

So does Dr Adrian Warnock who recently linked to my blog.

He is a psychiatrist after all.

I mean, who else would read this blog?

Should I tell him that I have been secretly reading his blog for some time as well?

Perhaps come out of the closet?

Source: Museum of Depressionist Art

Not quite. That's my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.

Me, I have a my foot in my mouth.

And I type with my nose.

who am i

"God will not suffer man to have the knowledge of things to come; for if he had prescience of his prosperity he would be careless; and understanding of his adversity he would be senseless."

You are Augustine! You love to study tough issues and don't mind it if you lose sleep over them. Everyone loves you and wants to talk to you and hear your views, you even get things like "nice debating with you." Yep, you are super smart, even if you are still trying to figure it all out. You're also very honest, something people admire, even when you do stupid things.

What theologian are you?
A creation of Henderson

I'm Augustine? I'm flattered. But the only truth in this is that I do stupid things.

Well...maybe not this stupid.

gendered words

I'm back a bit earlier than expected, although I'm going to be a bit sporadic for a couple of days yet. But at least this saintly transgender Barbie is no longer confused.

I ran my longest blog entries through the Gender Genie, and I am told that in every single instance, by a ratio of 2:1, I am overwhelmingly male.

i'm not jealous

Trully I'm not.

I'm not Catholic after all. And my bible tells me everyone who follows Christ is a saint.

Besides which, we Aussies already have one of our own Catholic variety - a woman and a bit of a firebrand no less. Got ex-communicated once, asked to leave by the Bishop of Adelaide another time.

Which says to me, in Catholic circles, it either matters more what you do after you die than when you're alive, or it just takes a long time to admit being wrong.

Catholic sister-in-law heading my way. I'm now ducking for cover.

coming out

Hmm.
It seems my last post has raised questions.
I have received some private email about my
reading habits. Let me reassure you:

You're Transgender Barbie!
You're well, there's no way to describe you.
Pick a sex and stay with it!

If You Were A Barbie, Which Messed Up Version Would You Be?
brought to you by Quizilla

See? I'm a perfectly normal, integrated human being.

who me?

A recent visitor to my blog seemed to suggest that I should be Catholic.

How can I be? I don't have any issues with sex!

I have issues with...

money domination water food excess

Take Word Association Test

about me

It is customary for bloggers, I think, to write something about themselves. In fact, I am constantly amazed at just how willing people are to publish screeds and screens of information about themselves: not just addresses, phone numbers, work histories and photos (yikes! some yankees even publish their social security numbers!) but huge outpourings of angst and existential anxiety and gushy poetry and stuff I wouldn't even tell my mum, who would still love me anyway. Which means, I am just not ready to bring out all my laundry just yet. Hey it's only our third date.

I have not read any social commentaries on the reasons for this supposed explosion in blogging. My guess is it has something to do with the corresponding boom in the number of people who are currently writing The Great Australian Novel. I wonder if this is indicative of a desire for purpose, connectedness; perhaps indicative of an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. It's like everyone has lost their place and their voice and are busy shouting to each other across cyberspace. Hey! I am here and I have something to say!.

Maybe not so much shouting to each other - I am not sure people really listen to each other anyway - which makes blogger's apologies for not blogging regularly faintly amusing. May be it's our postmodern new age selves 'putting out' to the cyberuniverse in the vain hope something good will bounce back. Like casting a grappling hook hoping that it will find an anchor somewhere. Or hoping that someone bigger, wiser and stronger than you throws back a rope and harness instead. Anything to stop drifting.

Or maybe blogging is just our collective yawping at God?