Catreona in Quizziland

As you know, Dear Reader, for some time I've belonged to Fun Trivia. Indeed, I received my Old Timer badge for five years of membership in March, though I haven't been active all that time. Took a sabbatical of several months along the way. I'm active now, playing quizzes and games, taking on challenges to earn badges, participating in discussion threads and, rather absorbingly, playing in The Global Challenge,Quizziland's periodic tournament.

I also write quizzes, with twenty-four under my belt. Currently working on Silver, a general quiz with questions from across Fun Trivia to celebrate No. 25. It's not easy. The great majority of my quizzes are on Pop music, with a couple on Literature. One needs to stretch one's wings now and then, I suppose. And naturally, there is a book question and a song question in Silver; those were the first questions I thought of. Still, I'll be glad to get back to my comfort zone. Several Music and Literature quizzes are awaiting my attention. Always so much to do!

Link

Visit me on Fun Trivia

Speaking of Heavenly Bodies...

This photo of Engelbert tweeting was taken during his recent trip to Singapore.

BTW if I seem more than usually disconnected from the ground the past few days, it's because Engelbert answered one of my comments on his web site! Over the moon doesn't begin to describe my state.

Engelbert Again

A few days ago I wrote to the contact e-mail at engelbert.com to ask if it would be possible to set up a control to let visitors to the home page turn the music off and on. It’s one of those pages where the music starts as soon as you enter. Without being able to switch the music off, I have no way of hearing what the screen reader is saying. Fortunately, the web site is otherwise very well designed. It wasn’t too hard for me to locate the site navigation links and click through to another page, from where it was a piece of cake to navigate through the rest of the site. Still, it’s the principle of the thing. I’d like to be able to read the home page. More importantly, a totally blind visitor probably wouldn’t be able to manage at all. And, the fix isn’t a difficult one.

So, I wrote to explain all this. The fan liaison sent back a note saying she had passed my message on to the web development team.

More importantly, her message included a photograph! *swoon*

*sigh* I suppose it’s all right to be a total and complete airhead as long as that is only one facet of your personality; if, when push comes to shove you can discuss with moderate intelligence The Vision of Piers Plowman or the influence of Boethius on The Knight’s Tale and Troilus and Criseyde, or point out waspishly that you opposed the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan from the very beginning when each and every soul you knew, including the most reliable Liberals, were telling you how shortsighted and naive you were, because the operation was necessary.

A personality is a complex organism, with many components and facets. Mine has the facet that likes maple walnut ice cream but hates Brussels sprouts, the facet that loves detective stories and the one that is fascinated by Quantum Mechanics and Archaeology. So, I suppose there’s nothing inherently wrong with having a facet that goes weak at the knees when confronted with a never-before-heard song by or a photograph of, say, Engelbert Humperdink or Tom Jones. I mean, I am only human, after all. But, it’s not a facet that comes to the fore all that often. And, it must not yet be fully integrated into my personality as a whole because it is, err, slightly embarrassing.

And yet, really... What’s a girl s’posed to do?

P.S.
I wrote away today to inquire about joining Engelbert’s fan club. Seems to me, if I’ this far gone, I might as well go the whole way.

Ooooooh!!!

Harry's here, Harry's here, Harry's here!!! WOOT!!!

I was going to wait a few days till the unabridged audio cassette edition arrives. But... Really, how can I wait?

*ruful grin* Yes, I actually am a mature, intelligent grownup person. But, damn it, everybody needs a little fun and silliness in her life once in a while.

Gotta fly. Harry's waiting!