Community Network Meme 2011

If you are new to Morning Erection or haven’t read many past posts, like 31 Days of Blogging Honesty, you might not know what a strange breed of human being I am. All I ask is that you take my strangeness into account when you read my responses to this year’s meme and every other post of mine too. Thanks.

If you would like to see the answers from last years meme, feel free to do so here, Community Network Meme.

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1. As a blogger, what do you draw inspirations from for your posts?

Fortunately I can rely on my ever expanding imagination as inspiration for my posts. My imagination has created some of my most popular posts and it never ceases to amaze me how many people feel comfortable enough embracing my crazy thoughts. I also draw inspiration from past experiences and family. One of my favorite environments to get inspired in is the kitchen. I love to cook and sometimes I share my easiest or tastiest recipes on the blog.

2. If you could swap blogs with another blogger for a post, who would you switch with and why?

This was perhaps the most difficult question to answer. Am I guest posting on their blog or am I them on their blog? I’m not sure how to answer this and since I don’t want to appear to be dumb, I will just assume that I have somehow hypnotized them and when my post  goes live they will have no idea that they did not create and publish the post all by them self.

Now that I have said that, the blogger I would switch with is Cherlyn Cochrane over at Over A Cup of Coffee. Why would I do that? Because I really consider Cherlyn to be a friend. I feel close to her (kinda brotherly, kinda friendly, kinda fatherly) although I have never told her that. Because I care a lot about her I think I would want to swap with Cherlyn. Because I care for Cherlyn I believe that if we swapped blogs she in turn would treat my blog with the utmost respect and post something along the lines that I would post.

3. If your blog had a theme song, what would it be? Why?

Why does my music life continue to revolve around Prince? I don’t know but if Morning Erection could have a theme song it would be Purple Rain. I try very hard to be very real in my posts and comments and when I comment on other blogs as well. There are times when I leave comments on blog posts where the person is in obvious pain and hurting. I can’t rush to their side and give them a hug, but I can offer words of comfort and most times I try to. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail miserably.

Still, some of the words to Purple Rain express how I feel and the actions I take. It is not that I have hurt anyone but sometimes I wish I could comfort and for me I know how good it can feel on a hot summer day to be cooled by a rain shower. I suppose that is where I get the correlation with my blog and Purple Rain. Don’t think me too corny!

4. What is your writing process for a post?

Complicated. I don’t like to write a post and post it immediately. I think I only did that once or twice regarding a major news story or when I was trying to scoop Chris Ferrell from Nerds of The Round Table on some movie news. Usually I like to write several posts and let them stew on the back burner for posting later. Often times I have posts sitting around  for months.

Regarding some of the regular features on Morning Erection, like Poetic License, I was finished up until November way back in April I think. It was very convenient to get the posts out of the way, but some of the bloggers had stopped blogging by the time their poems were featured. Sometime I come up with ideas for posts, give the post a title and when I get back to them, I forgot what I had in mind when I thought of it.

I don’t think I have really given an definitive answer yet. I suppose the answer can be summed up in my blog’s tagline – “Sometimes thoughts, like morning erections, just spring forth and take on a life of their own…”

5. Your blog requires a cute, new, mascot – what would it be?

Why do I think Cherlyn thought of this question to get me in trouble? No giant penis for this blog! Keeping in line with my answer for question three, I would say a big fluffy purple pillow. It’s comforting and firm at the same time and since I am a people person, I like to make people feel comfortable.

6. Do you feel you express your “true self” on your blog?

Sometimes I feel that I express too much of my real self in my blog. I think I am too open and very honest in my posts and my replies. There have been many occasions where I wish I had decided to start this blog with a made up persona. I could feel even more free and protected at the same time with what I express in my posts. Because of my openness in this blog and due to the name of my blog I almost had to close my blog as some of you might remember. It has something to do with my wife’s job.

There is a huge secret surrounding my blog though… I mean HUGE!, but I’ll never tell. I want to but I won’t!  (Cue mad scientist laugh insert right …. wait for it …, here).

7. What is your biggest online pet-peeve?

Comment moderation is my biggest pet-peeve of all time. I thought I had gotten past how much it irks me but because I wasn’t posting regularly for several months, my readership died down considerably. I decided to let everyone know I was back to posting regularly again and I started visiting new blogs to see if I could make some new blogging friends. Inevitably the majority of sites I visited were moderating their comments.Photography, poetry and food blogs are the worst offenders.

You take the time to comment on somebody’s blog (some of whom are begging for comments) and it isn’t until after you leave the comment that you find it won’t be visible right away. I was going to write another post about how much I hate comment moderation but Mitch Mitchell who participated in last years meme said it more succinctly than I ever could!

Admittedly, I was leaving comments for self promoting and selfish reasons but for me, it is easier to let Akismet catch spam and have every body be able to see that their comment is approved and visible than to leave my site feeling ‘cheated’. I know for me, I hate clicking the Post Comment button only to see the “Your Comment Is Awaiting Moderation”

8. If you could live in a fictional universe, where would you live? Why?

My first thought was automatically being a part of the Star Trek world/universe. Then I thought of how dangerous being a part of Starfleet is. Then I remember I just finished watching Captain America: First Avenger. Perhaps living in a superhero universe as long as I’m a superhero would be the place to take up residence. Now if I could just come up with what superhero power I would have.

Invisibility, x-ray vision and the ability to fly sounds great. Oh well, I guess having all of Superman’s powers and none of his weaknesses.

9. You’re having a bad day, you’re upset, you’re angry, or you’re sad – what is your go-to comfort?

Music. My first thought was food and then I realized I was just regurgitating what the media says about some people. It is definitely music but fortunately for me I don’t have many of those days. I can probably count them on one hand for an entire year. Eighties dance music, gospel or smmoooth jazz!

10. What is your favorite inspirational quote?

As with many things about life, this answer can change depending on the moment in life you are experiencing. Right now my favorite quote is from the Bible. It’s from the book of Psalms. Verses one and two are my go to passage when I feel the need but the entire psalm is remarkably beautiful.

 1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
      will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
 2 This I declare about the Lord:
   He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
      he is my God, and I trust him.
 3 For he will rescue you from every trap
      and protect you from deadly disease.
 4 He will cover you with his feathers.
      He will shelter you with his wings.
      His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
      nor the arrow that flies in the day.
 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
      nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
 7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
      though ten thousand are dying around you,
      these evils will not touch you.
 8 Just open your eyes,
      and see how the wicked are punished.
 9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
      if you make the Most High your shelter,
 10 no evil will conquer you;
      no plague will come near your home.
 11 For he will order his angels
      to protect you wherever you go.
 12 They will hold you up with their hands
      so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
 13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
      you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
 14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
      I will protect those who trust in my name.
 15 When they call on me, I will answer;
      I will be with them in trouble.
      I will rescue and honor them.
 16 I will reward them with a long life
      and give them my salvation.”

11. If they were to make a movie based on your life, who would play you, your leading lady/man, your best friend, and your rival?

A movie based on my life would get an NC-17 rating unfortunately so not too many folks would get to see it and I would be embarrassed to even write the manuscript! The leading lady role would go to Astrid Bergès-Frisbey. From what I can tell she has a lot of class and is very intelligent. Will Smith would be my best male friend because in actuality they have the very same style of humor

My best friend who is female has to go to Alice Ozawa because they look alike. It’s like they were born twins and separated at birth. Unfortunately Alice is a Japanese Gravure Idol which means she poses naked. My friend is mad at me because she thinks because I have seen photos of Alice then I know what she looks like nude. Ridiculous!

Robert Downey, Jr. plays such a convincing good guy as Tony Stark/Iron Man that he would have to be my rival. I would need someone of his caliber as a foil (a character whose qualities or actions serve to emphasize those of the protagonist (or of some other character) by providing a strong contrast with them) for my character.

My character. Who will play the stunningly handsome, charming, debonair, intelligent and yet somehow humble Tom Baker? How about John Cho? I like what he brought to the character of Mr. Sulu in the 2009 redesign of Star Trek. There you have it. Casting call!

12. Do you think the world is going to end in 2012?

As I read more and more of the Bible and see for myself what it says, I’d have to say three things. The first, I am sick and tired of the media (who likes making Christians look foolish), giving air time to that ignorant preacher, Harold Camping. The first time he was wrong in his prediction would be the first and last time he would get any air time.

Secondly the Bible clearly states that no one knows when God Himself will declare the end of time. No one knows, not even Jesus! Thirdly, if the world does end in 2012 it will be because God chose the time and place and has nothing to do with the Mayan calendar. Even the Mayan calendar itself does not specify the end of the world, just the end of the fourth epoch of man. It states there will be survivors to go on because there are three more epoch (ages) to go through. I have no faith in the Mayan religion or calendar.

13. If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?

I finished answering all the questions and let my wife read my answers. I had an answer for this but when your wife (who is a woman) tells her husband in all honesty to change his answer because there isn’t anything she can think of that she would want changed, you go with that. She’s either a liar or a wonderful, caring and compassionate wife. I choose the latter.

14. What is your favorite season and why?

I don’t have a favorite season at all. I equally dislike all seasons for various reasons. Spring because of the pollen but I do like the very nice temperatures. Summer because it can get too hot but I do like going to the beach. Autumn because I don’t like the idea that it’s going to get colder soon and then there is Winter. I hate Winter because of the bitter cold. The bad driving conditions, the dirty snow that cars and shoes leave in their wake, the extra layer of clothes. However, each season brings with it a great variety of fruits and vegetables that make cooking fun in any season.

15. You’ve been bitten by a vampire. Would you fight it with all your undead being or would you embrace it for all it is worth?

This is a tough one. Fighting it with everything I have would mean excruciating pain and torment and I would lose the fight eventually anyway. Embracing it would require the motivation and drive to feed on humans as if they were dinner. I would be a monster either way. There is no way around that fact but if this happened I would most likely find Mick St. John and try to take the route he did.

16. Have you personally met any of your blogger friends?

Let me preface this answer by saying that I would like to meet all of my blogging friends one day. It is a long term goal of mine. The logistics of meeting everyone (especially at the same time like I would want), is just too daunting. With that being said, yes I have met only one of the bloggers that frequent my blog. She is no longer blogging but yes, we did meet. Oh, I forgot to mention who. Rose Reynolds is an Indiana resident and I met both her and her husband before I moved from the state.

17. What does your favorite pair of underwear look like?

You aren’t seriously asking an nudist who goes commando when he’s out of the house what his underwear looks like are you? You may or may not know, I have been a nudist since I was a teenager, but when I had to get dressed and go outdoors I used to wear step-ins (see image). Really they are pajamas but I used them as underwear during cold months.

18. Have you ever drank something right from the container in the refrigerator knowing other people will have to drink out of the same container later?

Thirty plus years on Earth is a long time to remember something so specific but I’m fairly sure I have never done this. Probably the reason is I never wanted to be the person coming behind someone elses backwash. Out of common courtesy I most likely never have. Yuck!

19. What is your favorite word and explain why?

I have lots of favorite words all for different reasons. I even have a draft of a post that was about my favorite word. I was hesitant on posting it because I don’t want people to think sex is the only thing I think about. It’s not the only thing I think about!

One of my favorite words is onomatopoeia. I love the way it rolls of the tongue. More of my favorite words are superfluous, cogitation and pedantic. The word that was going to be a part of that post I mentioned before was panties. It’s my favorite word right now and has been one for a very long time …  because I absolutely love what’s in them!

20. 2011 is soon coming to a close, is there anything you’d like to do different on your blog in the year 2012?

This is a great question. The one thing I would like to do differently is really out of my control. As you know I have a guest blogger every month. In 2012 I would like to be able to complete all twelve months with a guest post. That is my goal and I have instituted a plan that will help me. Of the bloggers who have agreed to guest for me, I have already added them to my beta site where they can create their masterpieces. Five guests have been added and I’m just looking for seven more.

Because of the new blog I created, Flavor Internationale, next year might also be my last year having guest bloggers. If you want in, now is the time! Only four months left to choose from…

2011 Community Network Meme Participation List

Betwixt And Between
Insignificant At Best
Kay At The Keyboard
WordsFallFromMyEyes
Courage To Change
Jackie Paulson~Writer
I Shall Be A Toad
Finding The Humor
Over A Cup Of Coffee
Morpho Designs
Broken Sparkles
Curiosity Killed The KAT
Walking The Labyrinth
Life Of Carbon
ConchSaladesque
Blue Jellybeans
Disjointed Rhymings
TheRealSharon’s Blog
How Can I Complain?
2Tha9s