Gather 'round! It's time for yet another "Explain your signature" thread!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

I love to see the creativity that comes out in full force at these things. ;)

I'll go first: My signature has always followed a pattern, of picture, by-line about me, quote. The picture has been the cats of Steely Dan for about 4 or 5 months now. The by-line ("Proud writer, musician, feminist, Mainer, and high school student.") is me in a nutshell, and never changes.

The quote is always one by the pictured. I've been using a different SD song lyric every month or so since I've had Fagen/Becker in my signature. Currently the song lyrics are from "Your Gold Teeth" from the 1973 album Countdown to Ecstasy: "Even Cathy Berberian knows/There's one roulade she can't sing." Cathy Berberian was a famous, very talented opera singer; a roulade is, according to dictionary.com, "An embellishment consisting of a rapid run of several notes sung to one syllable." So, the pairing here is saying that even the best know there's something they can't do....Basically, "No one is perfect." Which I think is good advice, though Fagen/Becker intended it as a very sardonic jab at the gambling, crazed, "monkey woman" of the song. ;)

Your turn!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

1. Well, I'm tired of the religious right lying about our country...

...and how it was supposedly founded on Christian principles, BLAH BLAH BLAH.
And I found the little black smiley and thought It was perfect. He looks scared.
Duckie

[WritingIsMyReligion]

4. I love the black smiley.

:rofl:

Great quote, too, btw.

:thumbsup:

;)

[Guava Jelly]

2. I just love republicans an am very sarcastic.

:rofl:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

5. Great quote.

:evilgrin:

:thumbsup:

[Zavulon]

3. Comes from the Russian movie "Night Watch."

The words (translated from the original Russian) are from the movie's villian (Zavulon, my screen name) to the villian's hero. The picture is that of a cursed young woman walking to her apartment - it looks simply chilling on a large screen.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

7. Very interesting.

I always wondered what the hell that picture was in your sig. Glad to have it cleared up!

;)

[Zavulon]

23. The movie is worth renting if you're interested in seeing

how Russians do horror films (at one point in 2004 it was the highest-grossing film in the history of any former Soviet country), but I advise renting it rather than buying it - you're either going to love it or hate it. In either case, you won't feel at ease or in the loop until about an hour in, because this is like nothing Hollywood has ever produced.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

25. I have a low tolerance for horror of any kind.

Overactive imagination. I'm struggling through 1984 now. Holy fuck! :scared:

:D

[Zavulon]

29. You may have a problem with this one, then, especially

if your low tolerance for horror includes a corresponding low tolerance for blood. This is not a movie to let kids watch, either.

[Zavulon]

31. BTW

As you can tell I'm sort of new here, so while others may know this I don't - what do you write?

[WritingIsMyReligion]

33. A whole bunch of nonsense.

:P :P

Seriously, though, I write mostly anything I can. I write what I like to read--original fantasy, historical fiction, some types of realistic fiction. I mostly mess about with short stories and extremely cheesy poetry, usually involving hundreds of references to music/jazz/piano, as diversionary methods while tackling a larger work, i.e. a novel. Right now I'm "homeless" (without a mainstay novel) so I'm just wandering the fields of short story/poetry and all the essays and shit I have to do for school.

[Zavulon]

36. The poetry would be lost on me, to be honest, but

the other stuff sounds interesting. Any of it online?

[WritingIsMyReligion]

No, actually.

I'm paranoid about idea theft...I've only posted a very few things here on DU, all of which was poetry. :evilgrin: Nonetheless, if you're interested, it's in my journal. ;)

[Zavulon]

43. Thanks, going there now - and

actually, that's a sensible precaution you're taking.

[Zavulon]

57. Holy Shit!

You're 14 and you write that well?

I have to say a few things here:

1.) I can't begin to tell you how impressed I am. My best friend has a 16 year-old, twin 15 year-olds and a 13 year-old. Although they're great kids they write like they're still in elementary school - and they STILL get B's and A's. I had lost all hope for the literacy of future generations until looking through some of what you've written.

2.) I'm almost three times your age. Seeing a 14 year-old compare REO Speedwagon to Dylan to denegrate CCM was side-splittingly funny, even though I don't have the slightest clue who CCM is :)

3.) I hope you didn't read anything into my saying that Night Watch isn't a movie for kids. I had no idea what your age was at the time, and by your writing there's no way I could have known that you weren't at least of legal drinking age. I carelessly tend to assume that everyone on political boards is old enough to vote, and there was no way that I could tell that you weren't. Apologies if you took that the wrong way - it certainly wasn't intended like it might have come out.

4.) Great to see someone of your age and brains on the political side of the good guys. :)

5.) Whatever you've been doing to get as good as you are, keep it up. :)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

61. Thank you, very, very much.

:blush:

Actually, I'm 15, as of last month, but shhhhhh! :D :P :D

1) There are a few of us scribblers lounging around. A few. :D

2) "CCM" stands for "Contemporary Christian Music"--it's a genre, not a specific act. I *ahem* do not particularly enjoy CCM at all. :D ;)

3) No offense taken whatsoever.

4) I try to keep the country from falling down around our ears. ;)

5) Hmm....Whatever I've been doing... :evilgrin: :P

;)

:hi:

[Zavulon]

67. Well, I have to say,

happy belated birthday. :)

I've never listened to CCM, so I had no chance of knowing what you were talking about - but I thank you for clearing it up for me. I can't even imagine what such tripe would sound like, but I have no interest in finding out.

At any rate, I'm very impressed - so keep it up and have a nice holiday weekend :)


Edited to correct my wretched typing

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

6. Not much to explain really just a quote from the closest person I have

to a "hero."

[WritingIsMyReligion]

10. A very good quote, indeed.

I'm way too anal-retentive about my signature...I'm very strange that way. So I definitely like to see the simpler signatures as well, which don't require so much explanation.

;)

[bicentennial_baby]

8. it's a quote from Rumi

i want it as a tattoo :)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

13. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure who Rumi is.

If I once knew, it has been blown out the window...It sounds like the name of a mystic in Hinduism or Sufiism or something. I guess I should go Google it! :D

[bicentennial_baby]

19. here's an excerpt:

"Rumi was born on the Eastern shores of the Persian Empire in 1207 (in the city of Balkh in what is now Afghanistan), and finally settled in the town of Konya, in what is now Turkey. His life story reads like a fairy tale. A charming noble man, a genius theologian, a brilliant sober scholar, meets a wandering and wild "holy man" by the name of Shams, and almost overnight is transformed. It seems that the universe brought these two opposing characters together to remind us for eternity that it is never what you expect when it comes to personal transformation. It is impossible to know where your next inspiration may come from or who will become the conduit for your transformation. For Rumi the life of mystics is a "gathering of lovers, where there is no high or low, smart or ignorant, no proper schooling required." Rumi and his spiritual friend Shams left an undying legacy of the way-of-the-heart and creativity triumphing over pure, cold logic."

http://www.rumi.net

and this:

"Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207 — 1273 CE) was a 13th century Persian (Tajik) poet, jurist, and theologian.

Rumi was born in Balkh (then a city of Greater Khorasan one of the eastern territories of ancient Persia, now part of Afghanistan) and died in Konya (in present-day Turkey). His birthplace and native tongue indicate a Persian heritage. He also wrote his poetry in Persian and his works are widely read in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Turkey. He lived most of his life and produced his works under the Seljuk Empire.<1>

Rumi's importance is considered to transcend national and ethnic borders. He has had a significant influence on both Persian and Turkish literature throughout the centuries. His poems have been translated into many of the world's languages and have appeared in various formats.

After Rumi's death, his followers founded the Mevlevi Order, better known as the "Whirling Dervishes", who believe in performing their worship in the form of dance and music ceremony called the sema."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalal_ad-Din_Muhammad_Rumi

He talked about food a lot too :)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

20. Ah, yes...I knew the name was very familiar!

Thanks! :D

[Kali]

75. I have been to his tomb.

To the Mevlana Muzesi in Konya, Turkey. I had a really weird experience there. If I was a little more "susceptible" I would have called it spiritual.

[Fox Mulder]

9. It's a quote by Fox Mulder.

:shrug:

I think it applies to what we're going through today.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

15. Yes, it most definitely does.

;)

[TheMightyFavog]

11. Mine:

I'm a fervent believer that if your city does not see snow on a regular basis in the winter, it does not deserve an NHL franchise.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

17. LOL.

:rofl:

:thumbsup:

[wildhorses]

89. pffftt...

:spray: and nanner nanner nanner:P you're just jealous :rofl:




















and I thought I was pining for the past;)...wherein we all still ride horses as a solution to pollution and the oil driven economy:eyes:

[lizziegrace]

12. George Harrison in my hero

and I was lucky enough to be born on his birthday.

:)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

18. I like the quote!

And the fact that you share his birthday is way cool...I share a birthday with Roald Dahl and Milton S. Hershey and Peter Cetera and Ben Savage....Very random people. ;)

:hi:

[SoyCat]

70. same birthday!--and I adore G. Harrison; he was an amazing man and

musician.

[MiniMandaRuth]

14. Hehehe....

Well, I found something green in my bari sax the other day. Nasty. And then my friend said that. But only he can get away with that comment.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

21. Why, pray tell, was there mildew in your saxophone, young lady?

*clucks teeth in disgust*

:P

:hi:

[MiniMandaRuth]

27. dupe

dammit

[MiniMandaRuth]

28. It's not mine!

I wasn't in town that weekend!


Oh... yes, there was. IT was gross. Thing is, I had only had that saxophone for about two days.

Ooo... guess what I did last night, between two boys, out in the haunted woods?




I went to a haunted house and ran around with all my friends you, freakin' perv.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

34. You made me think you had something juicy to tell!

:P :P :P

Want another PMed pic of OAJD?

:evilgrin:

[MiniMandaRuth]

37. I'll PM you about what happened.

Check it out shortly...



Oh, and the subject line and my message doesn't go together... It just doesn't...

[WritingIsMyReligion]

41. Yeah...WTF?

:rofl:

:P

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. "Principiis obsta" means "Resist the beginnings."

It appears in this essay about how the Nazis took over Germany: http://www.thirdreich.net/Thought_They_Were_Free.html

"To live in this process is absolutely not to be able to notice it - please try to believe me - unless one has a much greater degree of political awareness, acuity, than most of us had ever had occasion to develop. Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion, "regretted," that, unless one were detached from the whole process from the beginning, unless one understood what the whole thing was in principle, what all these "little measures" that no "patriotic German" could resent must some day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field sees the corn growing. One day it is over his head."

"How is this to be avoided, among ordinary men, even highly educated ordinary men? Frankly, I do not know. I do not see, even now. Many, many times since it all happened I have pondered that pair of great maxims, Principiis obsta and Finem respice - "Resist the beginnings" and "consider the end." But one must foresee the end in order to resist, or even see, the beginnings. One must foresee the end clearly and certainly and how is this to be done, by ordinary men or even by extraordinary men? Things might have changed here before they went as far as they did; they didn't, but they might have. And everyone counts on that might."

[WritingIsMyReligion]

24. That is so true.

:scared:

:hi:

[crim son]

22. Mine's uninteresting.

I has to do with switching my username. A little joke, very little.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

26. Well, I like it!

I also liked the one you had before--"Out with the old and in with the new!" ;)

[crim son]

39. The things we do for love! Or hate, as it now stands.

:rofl:

You remember the other one. I'm impressed!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

42. I remember all sorts of random shit.

Sometimes useful...Usually just weird.

:P

;)

[crim son]

54. I used to be like that.

Then I got married and had kids. It fills your head up so there's virtually no room for anything random!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

55. Dangit!

:P

[Mz Pip]

30. Mine is from

"The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." I've had lots of sig line quotes over the years(Been here since the spring of 2001). Putting lipstick on a hog and it's still a pig was one of them. And the John Stuart Mill quote was another one I used for awhile. "Conservatives aren't necessarily stupid but most stupid people are conservative."

For now I'll stick with "Horrors!" I just like the lady with the rolling pin, too.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

35. I love the rolling pin smiley!

Very original. :D

[SeattleGirl]

32. Because it's true -- Silence IS consent.

I added that sig line when the assault against the Bill of Rights really kicked into high gear. I will not stay silent about the abuses perpetrated by the Bush Cabal.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

38. Huzzah!

:applause:

You go, girl!

;)

[SeattleGirl]

40. Thank you!

Might as use my love of talking, and put it to good use, huh?

[dolo amber]

44. Mine essentially says "Vote for Russ" and "Don't be an asshole"

:D

[WritingIsMyReligion]

45. To the point. Nice.

:D

[RevolutionaryActs]

46. Mine just has lyrics from two INXS songs.

Original Sin and The Strangest Party (these are the times)


Pretty boring really. :shrug:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

49. I like lyrics.

;)

[RevolutionaryActs]

53. Really, you sure?

:silly:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

56. Hey!

:P

[RevolutionaryActs]

59. HEyHEY? I really don't see what he has to do with this...

:silly:



:rofl:

[sakabatou]

47. A quote from Rurouni Kenshin

[WritingIsMyReligion]

50. Got to love the wanderers!

;)

[Mutley]

48. A friend gave me the idea

'Cause I'm an ateist.

And 'cause, well, I Am a Weather Godless.

Not to mention, that picture of the Washington Monument being struck by lighting is cool as hell.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

51. Haha!

I like it!

;)

[qnr]

52. I used to have interesting ones, but now it is boring. Just a

few links: to CafePress items using the graphic, my (boring) website, and my collection of photos.

[otherlander]

58. Just something Jon Stewart said.

While demonstrating why it was so hard for the president to connect the war in Iraq with the war on terror. The Iraq war was represented by an electric plug, and the WOT by "this avacado". The plug, "if you push hard enough", will go into the avacado...but the avacado still doesn't turn on. :crazy:
I :loveya: Jon...

[WritingIsMyReligion]

62. LOL!

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Book Lover]

60. Mine is a line from a great book by a great, great author

Zelazny's Doorways in the Sand is about a college student in his 13th year of study, due to the generosity of his frozen uncle. At the end of his many adventures, he asks the alien cop Ragma to describe his own race. His answer is my sig line.

[Generic Brad]

63. Mine is pictures of semi-famous and famous Brad's

I am every Brad. I am representative of the whole crew. Pictures speak louder than words.

[Aristus]

64. Just a quote from Lord Byron's "Don Juan".

n/t

[ScreamingMeemie]

65. It's a Spoonerism.

:hi:

[BluePatriot]

66. My blank signature line represents the deep void in the universe...yeah...

(NT)

[ghostsofgiants]

68. Mine's pretty straightforward, I think.

[LeftyMom]

69. I try to have something about animal issues in mine most of the time.

The current one is pretty straightforward.

[billyskank]

84. I really liked your "Animals should have the right to fly if..." picture

It was uber cute. :D

[Control-Z]

71. self delete

edit: because my comprehension is deplorable

[qnr]

72. Where is GOPisEvil? I want to know what the Trans Texas Corridor is and

why I should say NO to it :hi:

[ComerPerro]

73. Mine explains itself, its dedicated to a very kind DUer

It wasn't a fund drive or anything, and I wasn't even asking for it.

But I saw a reply in "My Posts" and saw that she had replied to one of my messages with something to the effect of

"Just noticed you don't have your star. Let me take care of that"

That was almost a year ago, and I still haven't changed my sig line. It was an overwhelming act of simple kindness

[HughBeaumont]

74. From the movie "Matinee"

One of the most underrated flicks of the 90s. I'm fascinated by 1955-1963 nostalgia and this was about the novelty horror film era.

[judaspriestess]

76. Hopefully mine is self explanatory

my other login name that I have used for a long time is: MSTEXMEX :) but not on this site.

[Oeditpus Rex]

77. It's Groucho Marx

Explaining the meaning of life in "Animal Crackers."

[deadparrot]

78. Lyrics from the musical RENT.

:hi:

[XemaSab]

79. Shark week last year.

Somehow people had a few too many and it turned into squid week, and a few other sorts of weeks, which people were making photoshopped pictures for, then GMoney kindly offered to make me a sig picture.

I puzzled over what sort of picture I should have, then the answer hit me.

The rest is history.

[RetroLounge]

80. Mine is thinly veiled code for HELP!

I HAVE TOO MANY BOOKS!!!

:rofl:

RL

[BreweryYardRat]

81. It's a quote from a (now-canceled) TV show I'm fond of.

And I picked it because it's funny, in a dark sort of way. I've never been a believer in serious sig lines. Heck, my last one was "HULK NOT UNDERSTAND PERSONAL BOUNDARIES!!!"

[MrCoffee]

82. Only good reason to start a war...

[billyskank]

83. Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part 2)

Having blocked out the sun and stolen Springfield primary's new-found oil wealth, most of the residents of Springfield are out for revenge on Mr. Burns. Tito Puente, the school's newly hired and immediately fired music teacher, was asked by Chief Wiggum where he was on the night Mr. Burns got shot.

He replied: "Why should I wound his body with bullets, when I can set his soul on fire with a slanderous mambo? Listen, if you will, to my revenge," and proceeded to play the slanderous mambo in question.

[sarge43]

85. Just riffing a cliche and an expression of my optimistic outlook on life

[peacefreak]

86. I stand by the First Ammendment on a daily basis.

It is nobody's business if you want to read or watch monkey poop. Or sonnets. Or the Book of Revelations. I'm a bookseller.

[Phillycat]

87. It's the story of my life. :) nt

[billyskank]

95. I'm sure you are a GREAT example

:loveya:

:hug:

[mduffy31]

88. Well mine is fairly self explanitory

I was out and a guy found out what I did for a living and started to call me a f@g because I have a "womans" job. I just said that and left it there. I don't have time for morans like that.

[bertha katzenengel]

90. Sondheim wrote my life with those lyrics. n/t

[wildhorses]

91. due to my commitment phobia...

I leave my sigline open to all the possibilities

[Tikki]

92. My sig line refers to my Avatar....

....a copy of the poster for the film...'The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome'....by avant-garde film maker Kenneth Anger.

Anger used technology of the era to express himself to his fullest advantage. ;-)


Tikki

[greatauntoftriplets]

93. The first part quotes an Irish rebel song...

The Men Behind the Wire.

Armoured cars and tanks and guns
Came to take away our sons
But every man must stand behind
The men behind the wire

Through the little streets of Belfast
In the dark of early morn
British soldiers came marauding
Wrecking little homes with scorn

Heedless of the crying children
Cragging fathers from their beds
Beating sons while helpless mothers
Watched the blood poor from their heads

Not for them a judge and jury
Nor indeed a trial at all
But being Irish means you´re guilty
So we´re guilty one and all

Round the world the truth will echo
Cromwell´s men are here again
England´s name again is sullied
In the eyes of honest men.

Proud we march behind our banner
Firm we´ll stand behind our men
We will have them free to help us
Build a nation once again

On the people step together
Proudly firmly on their way
Never fear never falter
Till the boys are home to stay

The second part is Gaelic for "Our day will come".

[TOhioLiberal]

94. It's a quote from

My hero. Who was my hero before being a hero was cool, or some such shit...:)
...and GoPsUx is my homie.

[datasuspect]

96. mine is a quote i heard somewhere that made sense

in light of some fundamentalists i had surrounded myself with at one point in time.

the pic is from the film, "La Planete Sauvage" and is one of the alien characters who is wearing learning headphones that etch lessons directly into the wearer's mind.