Battle Of The Lame Memes

My position on memes is pretty clear. I hate them unless I can twist them into some sort of meta deconstruction on the lameness of memes. Fortunately, just such an occasion has arisen. By some karmic coincidence, two bloggers I otherwise respect greatly recently did different variations on a “20 Questions” meme. This type of meme is the internet version of junior high slam books where you just answer random questions.

Some have better questions than others, but more importantly, the answers can often relate to stuff I have already blogged about. So here, side by side, are two memes where my only goal is to link to as many previous posts as possible. Here goes:

From Harmonica Man 1. When you buy a greetings card are the words or the picture more important to you? The price on the back. 2. What's your favorite kind of cake? We had amaretto cake for our wedding. I’ve never had cake that good since. 3. Do you ever make gifts for people, if so what, or do you buy them? I made a mix CD for my parents’ anniversary several years ago. That’s been about it. 4. What's your favorite holiday - i.e. Christmas? Thanksgiving because it is a family holiday that doesn’t require buying a gift. 5. Are you going on holiday this year? If so, where? My wife want to goes to China to see our exchange student. We’ll see if that pans out. 6. What was the best party you've ever been to? Not a party person. Mardi Gras in 1988 was pretty wild. 7. If you are married, describe your wedding. If not, what would your ideal wedding be like? That takes a long time to describe. You better just read about it. Read about it again if you already clicked on the link for question 2. 8. What's the most romantic thing that's ever happened to you? I did manage to surprise my wife with an engagement ring. She was not expecting it and I proposed at a very nice restaurant. 9. What's your favorite romantic song? Billy Joel – She’s Always A Woman To Me, which is not very romantic if you listen closely. But I like Billy Joel's sappy music. 10. Favorite heartbreak song? Meatloaf – Paradise By the Dashboard Light. There is a great story here involving my son, but I don't have the nerve to tell it. 11. Which celebrity would you like a dream date with? If Cindy Crawford had gone to my high school, I like to think I’d have a shot at her. Leave me to my delusions. 12. Which female celebrity do you find beautiful? Angelina Jolie is the Hottest. Woman. Ever. 13. Which male celebrity do you think is attractive? I have to defer to my wife who thinks George Clooney just gets better with age. Harmonica Man is pretty much in the same boat. 14. Describe the kind of underwear you normally wear. Damn. I can’t stop talking about my underwear on the internet. 15. If you could be in a television sit-com, which would you choose? I would love to be on 30 Rock just to meet Tina Fey and Golden Globe Winner Alec Baldwin. 16. Which character would you like to be? I like the over-educated black guy, but I am obviously the wrong skin tone for the part. 17. What are your favorite boy and girl names? Boy: Hunter Girl: Gatherer I have been dying to use that joke somewhere. 18. What's your supermarket of choice? Tie between Trader Joes and Wegmans. Neither of which are less than 10 miles from my house. 19. What is your best character trait? Easy going. 20. What is your worst habit? Secret nose picker.

From Blogography 1. Elaborate on your default icon. Did this come from LiveJournal? I haven’t updated my blogger profile, but lately I have been using my Wii Mii. 2. What’s your current relationship status? It’s in the sidebar. Married with a teenager. 3. Ever have a near-death experience? I’ve never even had a near-life experience. 4. Name an obvious quality you have. I’m a natural redhead but you’re gonna have to take my word for it. 5. What’s the name of the song that’s stuck in your head right now? Still that damn VD song. 6. Name a celebrity you would marry. Marry is a big issue. Cindy Crawford has the same birthday as me and she is two years younger, so I’d try to make a go of it. 7. Who will cut and paste this meme first? I would put money on either Mooselet or Impetua. They are good sports and usually game for anything. 8. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity? I say I look like Ron Howard. Unfortunately, our hairlines are beginning to match as well. 9. Do you wear a watch? What kind? A Seiko Kinetic with the parts visible from the back. 10. Do you have anything pierced? NO! 11. Do you have any tattoos? NO! 12. Do you like pain? Should I? Tearing my ACL was no picnic. Why should I hurt myself for fun. 13. Do you like to shop? Depends on what for. 14. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? Some sausages for breakfast. 15. What was the last thing you paid for with your credit card? A new digital camera to replace the really cheap one I bought three years ago. I paid with one of the too many credit cards in my wallet. 16. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? The dad of the girl I tutor in geometry. 17. What is on your desktop background? A picture of a penguin that a friend of my wife took. 18. What is the background on your cell phone? A picture of my wife. There is a connection between the two, but it is an inside joke. 19. What was the last movie you watched? Dreamgirls. Very good, but I am such a Broadway geek. 20. What was the last book you read? You can find out every the first of every month.

The final score is H-man 11 (I'm not counting the double on the wedding post) versus 8 for Dave2. Your mileage may vary. Do not try this at home. Trained driver on a closed course.