Not Monkeying Around: A Shocking Admission + 7 Links For Your Edification

/ Ally Bean

Hello Gentle Readers and Kind Lurkers,

While I usually have a story to tell or some research to share here on this blog, that’s not going to happen this week.

You see, I’m tired of writing, don’t feel like doing it this week. Shocking, I know. Perhaps the rigors of blogging have finally gotten to me, assuming I believe that blogging has rigors.

Maybe yes, maybe no?

So instead of my usual weekly flapdoodle & twaddle I’ll share 7 links that I stumbled over in my reading. The links are about a variety of things, interesting things.  

Click on whichever ones you like, then chit-chat with me in the comments below.

Enjoy! 

~ • ~

• Here is the PORTENT IDEA GENERATOR that “lets you create catchy titles for your next blog post, podcast, or video.”  You want to do that, right?  It’s fun.

• Here is THE WINE COLOR CHART. It’s cool. My favorite wines are Pale Yellow and Medium Ruby with a nod to Medium Garnet. You, too, can find out what your wine color palette looks like.

• Here is the ARE YOU A CONTROL FREAK? QUIZ. My results described me as “you can live and let live” meaning I’m not a control freak. This is one step above the bottom category of control freak tendencies, a category described as “are you being honest?”  

• Here is a drawing that shows the THE CIRCLES OF FRIENDSHIP. It’s intriguing, but according to it, the number of people I should know seems unrealistic, rather high. Decide for yourself.

• Here is the HOW STRONG IS YOUR MIND’S EYE APHANTASIA QUIZ.  Aphantasia is the inability to visualize objects in your mind. Not to brag but I have what they call perfect vision meaning I do not have Aphantasia. “You’re a naturally creative person with a very vivid imagination.” You betcha.

• Here is the OUTDOORSYNESS SCALE that provides you with a way to gage your own level of affinity for being outdoors. I am somewhere between “indoor cat” and “likes nature.”

• Here is an article about FRYING AN EGG ON THE SIDEWALK. I won’t spoil the how-to and what if of the process, but I will say it’s a fascinating read. Something to know, especially if you’re muttering about the summer heat.

~ ~ • ~ ~

187 thoughts on “Not Monkeying Around: A Shocking Admission + 7 Links For Your Edification”

  1. I generally don’t mess with online quizzes and such, but of course I had to peek at the Outdoorsyness scale. I don’t suppose it will surprise you that I ended up in the Forest Sprite category, although I think ‘sprite’ doesn’t quite convey the fullness of my involvement. “Passionate Prairie Purveyor” might head in the right direction!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Linda, I’m a sucker for online quizzes! I’m glad you took the chance on the Outdoorsyness Scale which isn’t so much a quiz as it is a way of describing yourself. I like your addition to the categories. You know yourself well.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I was never much for online quizzes until COVID. And then Buzzfeed showed up with “Plan Your Amazing Brunch and We’ll Tell You How You’ll Get Divorced,” and “Plan Your Dream Vacation and We’ll Tell You Whether You’re a Sociopath.” For a few minutes I could pretend to go somewhere and I got hooked.

    Liked by 3 people

    • AutumnAshbough, I’ve always liked online quizzes. I don’t take my result too seriously, but the fun of answering the questions and wondering why the heck anyone would ask the question, that’s what amuses me the most. I worked in marketing at one point, so what do you expect?

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I have “control issues” which isn’t surprising, honestly, but my control issues are limited to myself and my own environment – I would NEVER tell someone how to drive, for example. Wines: I like med-deep ruby, med-deep purple, deep garnet, and – for something different on a hot summer day – a very cold glass of pale gold. As for outdoorsiness, I am a Fresh Air Fiend. I don’t like camping because I don’t like sleeping outside and I like things like indoor plumbing and walls, but I could happily be outside all day long.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Nicole, I like how you’re able to qualify your control freak description. To thine own self be true. The wine chart is great fun. Your choices of wine are too intense for me, but they are darned healthy. I love that you’re a Fresh Air Fiend. As an Indoor Cat, I wish you much happiness out there. Catch up with you when you get home. 😺

      Like

  5. Control issues? Me? Yes, of course!
    Super visual and imaginative, Check!
    I like the wines with Sauvingnon in their names, mostly Blanc, which is nice to my skin, but also on occasion, I truly savor a Cabernet and suffer the flare.
    When it comes to the outdoors, heat is not my friend, but otherwise I am easily a forest sprite.
    Compared to the depiction, I have fewer people in my smaller circles on the friend chart.
    That was fun, Ally Bean, thanks!

    Liked by 2 people

    • joey, the control freak quiz seems to nail most people accurately. Of course it’s a step above the usual online quizzes. I’m the same with wine as you are. One glass of red wine and I’m a rosacea queen. It’s genetics, what ‘ya gonna do?

      I like knowing you’re a forest sprite. It seems accurate to me. Your assessment of the circles on the friendship chart is the same as mine. I might know a lot of people overall, but I have fewer close to me. Is it an only child thing, you suppose?

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I do not put much stock in online quizzes, but they can be a way to pass the time. I did the visualization quiz and scored very high – I have already forgotten the exact wording. I also received the ‘are you being honestl score on the control freak quiz – retirement made me realize controlling everything is a waste of precious energy. I tried the blog title generator and did not like any of the titles – I guess I may be a control freak when it comes to creative endeavors. 😉 Fun post, Ally, and way to take a blogging break!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Deb, enjoy these links whenever you have the time. Some are complete goofs, but a few are insightful. Didn’t go looking for any of them, but found them all. Ain’t that the way of the internet!

      Like

  10. Ha. I like dark red wines…and I am a #1 on the outdoorsy thing, except for in winter, I prefer to be outside, LOL. Blog when you feel like it, Ally. smiles

    Liked by 3 people

  11. “20 Reasons
    Great Grandfathers Farms
    Could Help You Win
    Your Favorite Reality Show”
    Somehow I can’t see myself going for that blog title. Guess I’ll stick with my own boring ones.

    I’m in the same category as you in control freakishness. Liked the wine color dealie. No way I’d EVER have 15 best friends (lucky to have one or two). I didn’t get to the rest. No point in taking an outdoorsy quiz!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Eilene, THAT’S THE TITLE YOU GOT! I love it but cannot imagine how anyone could write a post based on it. I am laughing here.

      The control freak quiz is, in my estimation, the most legitimate one of the group. I like color in general so the wine chart called to me, made me a little thirsty too. I’m like you about that best friend circle. Not sure about that.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I was happy to note that I have gone from being a control freak to only having some control issues, and that they’re primarily about me controlling my own stuff. Progress!

    (In line with that was me NOT using the random blog title generator. THAT THING IS NOT THE BOSS OF ME.)

    Liked by 2 people

    • nance, congratulations on becoming less freaky, so to speak. We all grow in our own ways. I do like your take on NOT letting some goofy online title generator control you. Clearly you know where to draw the line.

      Like

  13. Boy, do I need that PORTENT IDEA generator. Can’t wait to play with it. Coming up with blog titles is harder than writing the entire posts.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Jean, I know what you mean. When I’m in the mood to write I write without a care, but then I have to plop some darned title on the post and I become stymied. *meh*

      Like

  14. Blog title thing was very random and totally weird. The outdoorsy quiz puts me up there with your prairie purveyor friend. As to friendships – I am blessed to have 10 very very close friends and easily can round up 50 close friends to party with. I think my funeral will be well attended and I have even planned one part of it where in the eulogy the audience stands if you knew her from nursing or soccer or heritage or skiing or neighborhoud. Nothing worse than sitting at a funeral trying to figure out why your son’s friend’s mom is crying her eyes out at the funeral of our 65 year old neighbour. I never did figure that one out. An affair? He wasn’t her cousin as he was from my neck of the woods and I knew his family. Weird weird weird. Anyway so maybe I have some control issues and the road to hell is paved with my good intentions. I have many who will attest to my help and some, perhaps even my siblings, who actively dislike my helping hand and direct action when they are all like clueless. Oops – that was my inside voice!

    Liked by 2 people

    • BernieLynne, yes the blog title generator is kind of wacky. That’s why I liked it, of course. The friendship circle diagram is fascinating. I certainly don’t have anywhere near the number of friends it says I should have, but I’m okay with that. It’s how I roll.

      You’ve planned your funeral. I know another woman who has done that. I admire your desire to relieve your family from that burden– or are you telling me you’re a control freak? Either way is fine by me.

      Being an only child I have no direct experience with siblings. For me watching what all of you do is a spectator sport. Most entertaining.

      Like

  16. LOL! You come up with fun quizzes and interesting links all the time!
    Control Freak. Me? Yes, if I’m honest. 😀
    I need that title generator! I am going to try it later today.
    I like the pales in every color of wine.
    On the outdoorsy scale I feel like I’m somewhere between the Fresh Air Friend, and Forest Sprite.

    I’m going to look at the other links later on when I have more time. Fun stuff, Ally!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Deborah, I’m pleased that you liked these links. When I started blogging this is what I thought I’d be doing, not writing stories about my life. Something changed along the way. The title generator creates some unique ones that are nothing if not unique. I liked the wine chart colors, too.

      Hope you enjoy whichever links you follow when you get the time. Thanks for stopping by to comment.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. I’m a 3 in outdoorsy-ness which fits me perfectly. The circle of friends was hard for me because I don’t believe in best friends and have fluid relationships with most of my friends. Sometimes we’re close, other times not. We bond over certain situations and then might not talk for a couple months. Especially lately, there are very few friends I see regularly. I don’t drink wine so I was shocked that there were so many different colors! I wanted to do the control freak one but it required me to download something. Plus, I think I already know the answer .;)

    Liked by 2 people

    • Margaret, the Outdoorsyness Scale seems to be one that rings true with many people. The Friendship Circle diagram left me confused, too. If nothing else it’s food for thought. The Wine Chart amazed me too. I like wine, but didn’t realize how many colors of the stuff there were. On my computer the Control Freak Quiz just shows up in the article at the end of it. Nothing to download. 🤷‍♀️

      Like

  18. I don’t seek online quizzes but if one comes my way I will usually take a look. I looked at the circle of friendship link and my reaction is that he’s way off if I’m anything to go by. I have three close friends, one close-ish friend and I’m not really into acquaintances. As an introvert, I really dislike crowds, big parties, big events. I definitely am not a “connector!” My home is in a wine area and I’m educated about wine in a general way. I lean toward pink and red. 🙂 Thanks for providing all these links. Have a good week. Cheers!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Lynette, I don’t search out quizzes either but when I stumble over one and the topic looks interesting, I’ll take it. I’m an introvert, too, and I agree that the friendship circle diagram seems… off. I know the few kinds of wine that I like but after that I’m clueless. I did like the colors on the chart which tells you how shallow I am! Thanks for stopping by to comment.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. That was fun! I also got an ‘are you being honest’ on the control freak quiz. Pretty good since I’m a 5 on the first one (in the car). I’m more of an introvert than I realized I guess. My first 5 levels are 1,3, 2, 0, 25. But most important, I learned a new word–flapdoodle!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Annie, happy to meet another person who ranks low overall on the control freak scale. As for ‘flapdoodle’ it’s a good old-fashioned word that NEEDS to make a comeback. Starting here, I guess.

      Like

  21. Fascinating stuff. I’ll pick two: Choosing wine colors feels a little bit like picking a lipstick: I select ‘deep ruby.’

    I’ve been keeping this link on my desktop, waiting for the right time to post it: cooking an egg one the pavement. While I know it’s spamming to link to ones own website, this is from a Canadian friend, spam free in 115-degree heat back near the end of June: https://lindahoye.com/cooking/

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marian, you’re right about that wine chart. I’m sure you’ll look marvelous in your deep ruby lipstick! 💄

      Thanks for the link to Linda’s blog post in which she does what the Library of Congress says is not possible. I tried leaving a comment on her blog but it didn’t show up.

      Liked by 1 person

  22. The blog title one is pretty funny. I put in Blogging Break and this is what I got:
    Why Blogging Breaks
    Should Be One of
    the 7 Deadly Sins.
    Wine: I’m a medium yellow, pale salmon, or pale ruby. I have to say though, the entire chart was visually appealing to look at.
    I couldn’t even do the control freak quiz because I’m afraid of the answer. Also, I can’t CONTROL the answer if I was being honest.
    I don’t want to brag but I have Super Vision.
    They don’t have any of my choices on the Outdoorsy scale as it fluctuates between hellish summer weather (where I have to go out to do some chores but HATE it and winter when I love going outside because Florida in winter is heaven)
    This was fun!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Suz, I LOVE THE PROPOSED TITLE. Oh that is great. Will you be using it soon? Please do, even if you don’t go on a break.

      I liked the wine chart too. It made me realize how many different colors of wine there are. The control freak quiz seems to confirm what we all know about ourselves.

      You’re right about the lack of nuance in the Outdoorsyness scale for someone in southern FL. I’ve been down there every month of the year, and right now it’s hellish, while in January it’s dreamy.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. I just did a few of them. Very interesting! I am definitely a pink salmon, indoor cat. I, too, am a naturally creative person with a very vivid imagination, LOL, of course! I definitely don’t have that many friends. Even when you are not “writing” you are quite an interesting read, Ally. Happy Tuesday!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Janet, I LOVE how you’ve described yourself! You’re definitely a creative person, my friend. I’m with you about the friendship circle link info. It kind of baffles me, but it matters not to me, a pale yellow indoor cat. 😸

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Bizarre, but someone mentioned Aphantasia on a blog a few days ago in the comments. The blogger said he couldn’t picture characters while reading a book and the commenter said maybe he had Aphantasia. I took the quiz and got Super Vision, but I feel like it was too easy, having seen all the things described before, even if just in photos.

    150 current friends or do they mean cumulative in a lifetime? I find it hard to believe anyone has that much time to maintain that many relationships? I might be fb friends with someone now, based on a friendship we had in 1984, but they’d just be acquaintances today, in my opinion.

    Fun post!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Bijoux, I’d never heard of Aphantasia until I stumbled across this quiz. I was fascinated by the idea of it. It never occurred to me that some people don’t see pictures in their minds.

      You ask good questions about that Friendship Circle diagram. I don’t know the answers, but agree wholeheartedly with you that someone I knew as a friend a few decades ago could easily be a distant acquaintance now. So where do they belong in that diagram? 🤷‍♀️

      Like

  26. Hi, Ally – LIke some of your other readers, I don’t usually do online quizes either. But the Circle of Friendship one got to me. It’s a topic that I have been thinking much about recently. The link gives much to ponder on. For me the numbers and categories shift dynamically which makes sense to me, especially as our location/situation changes.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Donna, I like to take online quizzes when I stumble over them but I don’t search for them. For me it’s more about figuring out why someone would ask a particular question, than about answering the question. Blame it on a background in sales and marketing!

      I found the Friendship Circle interesting but necessarily accurate in my experience. I get what you mean about how friends morph from one circle to another and the numbers shift along with them.

      Like

  27. OK Ally Bean, I’ll look at one or 2 of those links, thank you, but not right now. Not into anymore reading for the day – it’s night time now. Am at sixes and sevens with the world. Maybe one or two of the links will cheer me up tomorrow morning. I like no 1 and 4. I will point out a little typo though, the word ‘gage’ unless it metamorphosed overnight into a new spelling.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Susan, the links are here for whenever you want to click on any of them– or none of them for that matter.

      Thanks for pointing out the typo. While the standard English usage is ‘gauge’ like you say, in the US we sometimes spell it ‘gage.’ It’s pronounced the same way, but we’ve lost the *u* for some reason.

      Still your point is taken, I do write for the whole world here so I should strive for clarity.

      Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, I usually have something I want to say, but this week I feel too tired to try to express myself. I didn’t know about Aphantasia until I stumbled over the quiz. It seems sad to me to not be able to visual an object in your mind.

      Like

  31. I tried the title generator and picked Jane Austen. My title was “14 Disturbing scenes of Jane Austens.” I guess they thought Jane Austens were the rabid anti-maskers attacking mask wearers in Costco! I guess it’s better than my original idea: “14 Disturbing scenes of Cheese.” Thanks for the giggle!

    Liked by 2 people

  32. Hi Alley, I checked out the link on friendships. How does one have 1.5 intimate friendships? I must ask what is a point five! A half?! I’m pondering on that. Fact or Fiction? Or perhaps my misinterpretation of the center of this circle chart.

    Liked by 2 people

    • TD, no I think you interpreted the chart correctly. My guess is that those numbers are all about statistical averages, and somehow half a person made sense to the social scientist who made the chart. Don’t blame me, I just find the links– and then wait to see what commenters have to say! 🙂

      Like

      • No blame assigned, Alley! I thought it as funny. And had my brain tickling all sorts of things that a .5 friend could be.

        I love your stuff monkey and wondered if you gave it a name? All of my stuffed critters have names. Yorkie knows all of their names. I’m often amazed with Yorkie’s vocabulary.

        Like

  34. Super Vision! That’s me. Inner vision strong vs needing glasses for every task in real life. Well, I wish there were a bit of a crossover on that – ya know?
    Enjoy your wine palette in all manner of fashion – Part of what attracts me to trying wine other than that which is my ‘go-to’ is the alluring color within the bottle.
    🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  35. Well, this was fun. I’m not a quiz taker in general. I HAD to take the control freak quiz . . . out of fear. I do wonder: am I controlling just in my own family, because SOMEONE needs to be in control or because I have a problem. I fall in the same category as you though and when I read some of the questions I was like HELL NO WOULD I DO THAT, so thanks for offering me some hope there.

    The friend thing confused me – I have a few best friends, but yowza – not as many other friends as I apparently ‘should.’ I’d love more friends, but I don’t seem to have time to do as many social outings as other people. Maybe it’s just my imagination. When Coach and I finally find a window to invite another couple out for a drink or dinner or SOMETHING (for the love of God, I’d settle for something), it’s too last minute to work. No worries, falling asleep on the couch during a movie is only slightly overrated.

    I don’t drink enough wine to look at a wine chart and have it make any sense. (see above).

    Liked by 2 people

    • Ernie, I’m guilty of being an online quiz taker, not so much to learn about myself as to see what they want to know about me. I mean, some of the questions are hinky. Plus no one ever said you have to be honest when you answer them, so it’s fun to game the system and see what happens then.

      You raise an excellent point about the control freak quiz. If you need to be in charge so that things don’t fall apart around you, are you really a control freak at heart OR are you stepping in to fill a need temporarily? No answer, but there’s something to your thought.

      As for the wine chart it surprised me. I didn’t know about all those colors. And the friendship circle baffles me. It seems like I am crazy unpopular according to it, but I don’t feel that way so… ?

      Like

  36. I hear you on the being tired of writing bit. I haven’t blogged in 3 weeks. I have drafts started but can’t finish them as the weather has been too hot/humid/rainy to get the pictures to go with them. Plus I have company for the month and just can’t find the time or the motivation now that my daily routine has been interrupted, and will be for awhile. I’m usually I’m a bit OCD on missing a week, but right now I don’t even care….thanks for the links!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Joni, to not be able to write something for my blog is kind of defeating. On the one hand I’ve done this for a long time so it’s no big deal to back off a little bit, but on the other hand this is a fun creative outlet for me and I like that. I understand how disruptive it can be to have company and how that can stall your writing mojo. No company here, but we do have the same lousy August weather that you do. Oh well, maybe next week I’ll get back to writing. And you too!

      Liked by 1 person

  37. I almost did a spit take with my coffee when I read that there is a control freak quiz. I am going to take it and report back, but I am almost sure I am off the charts. Waaaaayyyy off the charts.

    Like

  38. I’m going on a picnic tomorrow, so I typed in “picnics” on the Portent’s Idea Generator. It came back with “17 ways picnics are overrated.” So if some things go wrong tomorrow on our picnic, I’ll have a title for a post.

    My favorite wine colors were medium purple and medium tawny.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Nicki, hey that possible title is actually useful! You may be the only person who has gotten a title that makes sense, assuming you can find 17 faults with the picnic. 😉

      The wine color chart is fascinating even if I don’t like the wines with those colors! Guess that means there is more of them for you to drink. 🍷

      Like

  39. You always manage to come up with the most interesting posts! I’ve just killed way too much time playing with these links … well, except for the control freak one. I already know I am, so no need for a quiz to confirm it.

    It was the idea generator that made me laugh out loud. I tried 3 topics:
    1) kayaking = Kayaking Blunders. (Yes, this is a definite possibility.)
    2) losing weight in your 60s = How Losing Weight Could Get You Blacklisted. (I’m considering myrself warned!)
    3) backyard renovations = Warning! You’re Losing Money. (BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I hope this isn’t idea generator meets fortune telling!!)

    Liked by 2 people

  40. Hello Ally. It must be something in the air…I didn’t feel like writing either this week. So I didn’t. But I appreciate you sharing these links. As for wine colors (see how I immediately went to that one) I like pale yellow and deep ruby. Have a most wonderful week!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Christie, I’m blaming my writing malaise on August. It’s the worst month around here, too hot & humid & pollen-y. I suspect the blogosphere will continue on without me this week. Pale yellow wine is my fave, so should we ever meet in person we can share a bottle! Happy week to you, too.

      Like

  41. Goodness, it’s going to take me all the time between now and your next blog post to dive into all of that – they all sound intriguing. Some I already know the answer to without clicking: Outdoorsy – all the way. Can’t stand to be inside. Wine – anything red. Control freak – nope, I’m married to one, and there’s only one control freak allowed per household 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • Arlene, you describe yourself like a person who knows herself. I’m not sure that these links will tell you anything new about you, but maybe shed light on other people? Or maybe they’ll be a delightful waste of time allowing you to fill your minutes pointlessly! There’s value in that, too. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  42. L-I-B… I sure didn’t know an egg needs to be 158 degrees to actually cook. Nor would l have ever thought that by cracking an egg on a (hot) sidewalk, that it would also cool the pavement slightly. Well, that does it then: I’m taking that little exercise off my list of things to do this summer! – Marty

    Liked by 2 people

  43. The Aphantasia quiz was my favorite because: “Your mind’s eye has perfect vision. You’re a naturally creative person with a very vivid imagination. You probably spent a whole lot of time in your daydreams, because your thoughts are so clear they almost feel real.” Good to know that daydreams are a good thing 😉

    With the Control Freak quiz, I tested at “live and let live,” but I’m probably more borderline. The thing is, I know I tend to want to control things. It was a complaint of my husband’s in the early years of our marriage and it’s not a side of my personality I like very much, so I work pretty hard to temper it. At least, I might think the thoughts but I don’t say them out loud.

    The Circles of Friendship seem like something Dante would put together for introverts. I would disagree that one might have 150 friends to invite to a wedding. One might have enough friends, family, and coworkers to add up to 150. I cannot imagine having 150 friends that I would invite anywhere. And 15 best friends? Well, I’m happy for people who can say they have 15 best friends, and I’m happy to say I don’t 😉

    This was fun, Ally 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marie, you and I are in total alignment. I have perfect minds eye vision. And I’m a low-level control freak now that I’m a reformed perfectionist. Funny how I got the same things, or thought the same thing, as you. I’m not sure that I believe the Friendship Circle but maybe that’s because I’m an introvert. Doesn’t matter because I’m happy, so *whatever* I say!

      Liked by 1 person

  46. I don’t need to take the quiz (though I did browse it) to know that I am a control freak. I always have been. I probably always will be. My oldest likes to say that I’m persnickety. I like that word. (I’ve also been called obsessive, exacting, and demanding which I like less, mostly because they aren’t as fun to say.) I used to want to be breezy, but at 43 I realize that I fulfill a very important niche and I embrace it. 🙂

    Thank you for your links!! I always love these type of posts!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Katie, it’s been fun to learn who gladly embraces his or her control freaky-ness. If it works for you and keeps you safe then I’m all for it. I do like the word ‘persnickety’ because it’s not used enough in polite society. I’m pleased that you like the links. I enjoy posts like this whether I publish them or you do! Yours are the best.

      Like

  48. I was curious about the title generator. I laughed at “Ten Ways toast crumbs are scarier than clowns,” and other similarly original titles. Thanks for the fun link.
    If I had writers block, that generator would get me writing again.

    Liked by 1 person

  49. I’m not sure where I end up on the Outdoorsyness Scale because they don’t mention biking in the woods! However, I would much rather be walking, hiking, biking, camping with a friend and enjoying nature than being in a mall, at the movie theater or on an amusement ride. Home with a book and the cat is good too, Ally, but you and Gibbs both know that I don’t usually let the grass grow under my feet when the weather is nice (even in winter).

    Like

    • Mary, the Outdoorsyness Scale could use a bit of tweaking, but even though it doesn’t speak to you directly it does provide a starting point. And is darned cute. Still a category for biking in the woods could only serve to improve the scale.

      Like

  50. Ally – All the links were interesting. My favorite was the Outdoorsy Scale … like you, I could be an indoors cat but also a forest sprite (with an asterisk … yes, I’m game for a hike, but snakes in the grass, ticks or mosquitoes take away some of that enjoyment. I was just discussing the hot weather with Yvette Prior the other day. I told her my mom used to tell me how they stayed cool in the North American Heat Wave of 1936. This was in Toronto and her father and the rest of the neighborhood men went en masse and joined other men who took their blanket and pillow to Sunnyside Park by the water and slept there. They went after dinner and returned home to get ready for work once the sun was up. They worked in hot plants in the manufacturing district of Toronto with no fans. My mom and her mom slept outside on the porch. I can’t imagine. I’ve seen the time-lapse videos where people baked a tray of chocolate chip cookies on the dashboard using the windshield glass as extra oomph for the sun’s rays to bake them to perfection. Interesting to see how else you could cook/bake food.

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  51. Hi Ally Bean! I took the control freak quiz because, honestly, my “career” was a Business Manager, so it seems like there might be issues. But I got low on the scale, and it chastised saying, “Are you being honest?” so maybe I wasn’t. If I were to answer the question (without taking the quiz) the answer would be: sometimes yes, sometimes no, trying to let go of this tendency when it crops its head. xoxo

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  53. Always fun to find out how one measures up. 🙂

    For the Outdoorsiness Scale I’m a Fresh Air Friend half the time and a Forest Sprite the rest of the time.

    For the Aphantasia Quiz I got Super Vision. (Of course, I think in pictures! Yup, daydreamer, that’s me…)
    “Your mind’s eye has perfect vision. You’re a naturally creative person with a very vivid imagination. You probably spent a whole lot of time in your daydreams, because your thoughts are so clear they almost feel real.”

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    • Barbara, among the commenters here Fresh Air Fiend has been the number one category. So few Indoor Cats like me.

      I got the same thing on the Aphantasia Quiz. I am a dreamer and can get lost in my thoughts, so no surprise I suppose. Thanks for taking the quiz. It’s a fun one.

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  54. Not feeling to write a post is really okay, and since you still have over a 150 comments you have nothing to worry about! The aphantasia quiz made me smile. I am sometimes seeing too much! I can see things coming down the road before others become aware of it (like future events, etc. It’s called by some: prophetic, or seers ….enjoy your break of having something to post:):) Emille (Jesh)

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    • Emille, thanks for your support. I usually have at least something to talk about here, but not this week. Too hot.

      The clairvoyant ability you mention is called being fey in my family of Irish origins. I sense things are coming but not the specifics. I don’t know if its because I’m observant or if there’s something more to it.

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  55. Hi ally
    This post has me looking forward to learning and exploring with the links
    Not sure where to start but will keep you posted – might start with the egg article because it sure has been a hot month and I am curious

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    • MELewis, many commenters here have confessed to being Control Freaks, first class. It’s made me smile. While I’m more mellow, I do like a person who knows how to get things done her own way. Thanks for stopping by and joining in.

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  57. I didn’t do them all but it came as no surprise that I’m, ahem, a bit of a control freak (I’m working on it, not easy :D) and the friend list seemed a bit high to me, but that could be because I’m not a twenty-something anymore (okay, it’s been a while) and definitely I’m a nature nut. Fun links, have a great week!

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    • Eliza, many people have confirmed they are control freaks. It’s been interesting to learn that. The Friend Circle baffles me. It doesn’t seem realistic to me, but like you I’m well beyond 20. Plus I’m an introvert, so who knows? I’m glad that you enjoyed the links. Sometimes information + quizzes are all I have to share here. Thanks for joining in.

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  58. It got stupidly hot in the Pacific Northwest earlier this year, and my nephew cooked an egg outside…not exactly on the sidewalk, he put it outside in a tin pie pan, and left it for several hours. It cooked, though it didn’t really look appealing. Maybe a cat or dog would have enjoyed it?

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    • J, that’s interesting to know, but I won’t be trying it anytime soon. It’s hot and humid here, but not ‘cooking egg in pan outside in the sun’ hot. 😉

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  59. I like the turning like a sunflower comparison on the next post.
    Simplify
    Worth the effort and trying also.
    Appreciate the need for a break and refresh. Contemplating the same
    Go. Play. Live keyboard free! May smiles and laughter decorate your places.
    As the old guys said “See ya when the spirit moves ya!”

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  60. Great links! However the Friendship link caught my eye so I saved it for last because I knew it would be unrealistic and it did not disappoint! How can one get more friends? Geeesh

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  61. I think we’re all exhausted, and rude people, people who aren’t taking COVID seriously with the variant, dealing with the pandemic generally, et al, is exhausting. Enjoy your break. I’m still on mine. And I’m still exhausted….

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    • Tara, thanks for checking in here. I agree with what you said. The people [former friends?] who aren’t taking COVID seriously are the ones who’ve astounded me the most. Not to mention my acquaintances who like to mock have become more bold, more vocal, more pervasive. I am tired and wondering if this is how it’s going to be going forward. I’m hardly a Pollyanna, but the negativity has gotten to charmingly cynical me.

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