This week, I realized I have a problem. I, OrangeClouds115, am an addict. I am addicted to DailyKos. I am currently interested in seeking help, but unfortunately, KA (Kossacks Anonymous) and Kos Anon do not exist yet. So here I am, back on the blogs, feeding my addiction.
I've made a test you can use to discover whether you are an addict too. Join me below...
Give yourself one point for each question you answer "YES"
1. The phone book in your cell phone is full of dKos handles.
2. You have ever set an alarm to post a diary at a specific time. (Add a point if it was between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.)
3. You have set an alarm to read a diary at a specific time. (Add a point if it was between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.)
4. You respond to your dKos handle when people call you it in public.
5. You have driven over 2 hours ONLY to attend a dKos meetup (other than yKos).
6. You have already booked your hotel and flight for yKos 2007.
7. You have a Scotty Show T-shirt. (Add a point if it's autographed.)
8. You have ever found yourself in the position of being in public, wearing a dKos shirt, holding your copy of Crashing the Gate and telling strangers about dKos at the same time.
9. You fear people will worry about you if you miss commenting on your regular "community diary" of choice (i.e. WYFP, Top Comments, C&J, etc) even once.
10. When you miss commenting on your regular "community diary," the other regulars there actually DO worry about you.
11. You take pictures of your cat just to post them on dKos. (Add a point if you bought a cat just to post it on dKos.)
12. On a Saturday night, you've planned your social schedule around WYFP (i.e. come home early, gone out late, or stayed home just so you can participate).
13. You've told people you have plans at a certain time that you need to be home for to get home to post or read a specific diary.
14. You know your exact UID. (Add a point if you've bragged about it.)
15. You know the exact UIDs of others.
16. You think of your dKos friends as your "real friends."
17. You have ever found yourself describing a pie fight or flamewar in detail to a friend.
18. You have a blogcrush.
19. You've hooked up with a Kossack. (Add a point for each one.)
20. You've married a Kossack.
21. Your computer's home page is set to dKos.
22. You offered Buffy Orpington money, employment, or a place to stay.
23. You keep a cookbook near the computer so you can throw recipes at trolls.
24. You look up nasty-tasting recipes for the sole purpose of throwing them at trolls.
25. You log in as your sockpuppet to hide the true extent of your addiction to those around you.
26. You start brainstorming front pagers for next year around February.
27, You have printed out diaries to give them to friends IRL (in real life).
28. You remember the date that you first got a diary on the rec'd list.
29. You've already planned your GBCW diary in advance, although you have no plans to leave dKos any time soon.
30. You've receive snail mail addressed to you by your dKos handle.
31. You've stayed up all night writing a diary. (Add a point if you've stayed up all night writing a comment.)
32. You think of Bonddad, Nyceve, Jerome a Paris, and Clammyc as real celebrities. (Add a point if you've asked any of them for their autographs).
33. Other Kossacks have regarded YOU as a real celebrity. (Add a point for each time you've been asked for your autograph.)
34. You call friends and family when Markos is on television so they can better understand why you love dKos.
35. You take your laptop on vacation so you can check dKos.
36. You check your hotlist before you check your email.
37. You've saved a screenshot of your diary on the rec'd list.
38. You've added your dKos impact rank to your resume.
39. When you attend political events, you add your dKos handle to your name tag.
40. You've lied to friends and family about where you're going when you've gone to meet another Kossack (i.e. "I'm going to visit a buddy in high school. Be back in a few hours!")
41. You know how to spell buhdydharma without looking it up.
42. Your home contains a framed picture of you and Markos. (Add a point if you have a framed picture of you and Maryscott Oconnor.)
43. You've argued with bloggers from MyDD or elsewhere on why dKos is the superior progressive blog.
44. You've accidentally used the word "pootie" outside of dKos.
45. You get excited when a front pager recs your diary or your comments.
46. You've met other Kossacks because you were wearing a dKos shirt in public.
47. You've named a pet after dKos (i.e. your cats "Armando" and "Hunter"). (Add a point if you've named a child after dKos.)
48. You've planned vacations or road trips around plans to meet other Kossacks (not counting yKos).
49. You've ever said "I would have had a really low UID if only I'd registered I first started reading the site."
50. You've gotten mad at a person because you felt slighted when they didn't recommend you.
51. You've started thinking up your "fucking problem" by Thursday.
52. You've written up your "Cheers and Jeers" the night before.
53. You've felt torn because you couldn't decide between one problem or another to list as your "fucking problem."
54. You are the founder or owner of a diary series - one point for each one. (Add a point for each diary series you thought of but did not start because you are already overcommitted.)
55. You know how to use HTML to make a spider.
56. You've looked up how to say something in French, just for the purpose of saying it to Jerome a Paris.
57. You obsessively check Hidden Comments so you can mock the trolls. (Add a point if you share funny trolly comments with friends and family.)
58. You own the Progressive Partner Special Limited Edition of Crashing the Gate. (Add a point if you have an extra copy of the regular edition because when you had a chance to get an autographed version that was actually addressed to you, you couldn't pass it up.)
59. In conversation with non-Kossack friends, you've accidentally referred to Kossacks by their handles (i.e. So, I know this guy named Shockwave... uh, I mean... that's his... er, his nickname...").
60. You've tried to analyze the most strategic time of day to make the rec'd list. (Add a point if you've made graphs to aid your analysis.)
61. You don't know what to do when dKos goes down for maintenance.
62. You'd rather blog than have sex.
63. You've forgotten a meal because you were so caught up with dKos.
64. You've asked the host to use their computer so you could check dKos during a party.
65. You've already purchased Pastordan and Mrs. Pastor's cookbook.
66. You've had to stay late at work because when 5pm rolled around, you realized you got nothing done because you were blogging all day.
67. You know how to use the search function.
68. You've written something in the dKosopedia.
69. You used Dallasdoc's quit smoking advice to quit smoking. (Non-smokers, you get a point if you've given Dallasdoc's advice to a smoker.)
70. You understand the abbreviations CTG, GBCW, WYFP, C&J, and EA2020.
71. You've actually had dreams about blogging. (Add a point if you've actually had dreams about doing tag clean-up.)
72. You've upgraded from dial-up to hi-speed internet just for dKos.
73. You've tried to plan a vacation around your needs to post a diary series that you own or contribute to.
74. You know what kind of pets Bonddad has. (Extra point if you can name what breed. Add another if you know their names. One more point if you are bonddad.)
75. Your first thought during the Hawaii earthquake was "I hope begone/buhdydharma/Pyrrho is OK!"
76. You own the dKos Trollhouse Cookbook. (Add a point for each copy you've given as a gift.)
77. You've offered an item on the yKos fundraising auction.
78. You've bought an item on the yKos fundraising auction.
79. You email or IM links to dKos comments to other Kossacks so they can see a funny remark or take your side in an argument.
80. You have a regular email list you send your diaries to in order to get more recommends.
81. You already have a room mate picked out for yKos 2007.
82. You've already bought a travel book about Chicago.
83. When considering a move, you try to brainstorm which Kossacks live in your future city as a factor in how much you would like to live there.
84. During a class or a meeting, you've found yourself writing diaries or comments in your head.
85. You've spent more than an hour at one time trying to perfect your sig.
86. Your most anticipated movie of 2007 is Crashing the States.
87. You've supported a candidate purely because they posted on dKos.
88. You actually are a rabid lamb.
89. You've attended a "blograiser."
90. You are still arguing with other Kossacks about your opinions on the Mark Warner party in Vegas.
91. After reading any news story, you log onto dKos to see what the "real" experts say.
92. You bought color ink just so you could print a Dood Abides diary.
93. You've been so proud of the list of people who recommended your diary, you've printed it out or saved a screenshot.
94. You've reconnected with an old friend because you read a dKos diary that mentioned them by name.
95. You can explain how Carnacki chose his handle.
96. There are Kossacks that you would count among your close friends whose real names you do not know.
97. You've ever had a politician reply to any of your comments. (Add a point if they've rec'd your diary.)
98. You are more worried about your power going out because you'll lose dKos than you are about losing lights, your stove, or hot water, etc.
99. You have paid for internet in a hotel or an airport, just to check dKos.
- You've spent so much time blogging that your SO, spouse, or partner began to suspect you were having an affair. (Add a point if you actually were having an affair with another Kossack.)
Scoring:
* 0-10: Novice. You're still a little new at this. Make sure you read the dKosopedia.
* 11-20: Trusted user. Non-Kossacks may find you weird, but around here you're one of the crowd.
* 21-40: Moderately hooked. Put the pootie pics down and back away from the computer.
* 41-70: Raging addict. Are you sure the front pagers don't have restraining orders against you?
* 71-100: Lost cause. Call your mom and your dad (no, your dad, not bonddad) to make sure they still know you are alive and you're safe. They've probably not heard from you in a while.
I think I scored a 53.
My craziest one: I read a recommended diary about Kossacks who delivered copies of CTG to Congress, and it mentioned the name of a friend I had in college and gave his job title. I looked him up and called him, and sure enough, it really was my friend!
Runner up: I was sitting outside a Starbucks in Ann Arbor, MI, wearing a dKos shirt and a woman passing by stopped and introduced herself as a Kossack.
My guiltiest: I asked to use the computer at a New Year's Eve party so that I could say hi to Elise in the comments since she told me she might not go out.
Runner up: For nearly a year, I thought I had analyzed the perfect time to post a diary in order to make the rec'd list. I always set my alarm in order to post right around the same time... which was not a time of day when I wished to be awake. When I went on vacation, I considered trying to post at my special time, even though with the time difference it would have been during the wee hours of the morning... but I didn't. Or at least, I didn't in Portland. I think I did in Hawaii.
Ok, dun now. Don't rec this, iz merely cool meta from yesteryear. But comment and rec scores and have funz. Bye 4 now - thx, millie