Sunday Stealing x3

(Link in meme-roll)
The Bungalow 26 Questions

1. Which living person do you admire the most, and why?

Right now it's pretty much got to be both Obamas and both Clintons for NOT reacting to all the bullshit spewing from the White House in the last few weeks.

2. When were you the happiest?

My 20s were pretty awesome: no kids, young, stupid, in love, and making money but not too much.

3. Besides property, automobile or furniture, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?

That's probably a vacation. We've taken some big $$ trips over time.

4. What is your most treasured possession?

I don't know. I've literally been sitting here for several minutes trying to pick one thing. But really, it's not the things; it's the people and the memories.

5. Where would you like to live?

The southwestern U.S. in the mountains.

6. Who would you get to play you in a film of your life?

It would be lovely to have Sandra Bullock.

7. What is your favorite book?

The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton is my go-to here.

8. What is your most unappealing habit?

Nailbiting? Snarkiness? Over-reacting?

9. Twitter or Facebook? (Or if both share the differences in your opinion.)

Facebook for friends. Twitter for Trump Insanity.

10. What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?

British Fancy Dress? That would be an American (Halloween) costume, so probably a clown. American Fancy Dress -- I don't really do fancy clothes so it would be purpose-bought.

11. What is your earliest memory?

Sitting on the couch scribbling in my mom's address book, feet stuck straight out in front of me.

12. What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Sugar. I'm pre-diabetic, so this is a problem.

13. What do you owe your parents?

My life. Literally.

14. To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?

So many people....so many reasons.

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?

What = books. Who = Sparky.

16. What does love feel like to you?

Depends on a lot of different things. It can be very painful, bittersweet, fabulous. I'd say if I want to be around someone in spite of what they look (or smell!) like, it might be love.

17. What was the best kiss of your life?

Post-surgery, happy we're both still alive....

18. Which words or phrases do you overuse?

"Really" "Totally" "OhmyGawd!" "No problem" "FUUUCK!!". I'm sure there are others.

19. What's the worst job you have done?

The hardest for me was when I "interned" at my home church as a Christian Education teacher for a summer. It was brutally hard in terms of the learning curve. We all survived, and I don't think I did too much damage, but it was HARD over all.

20. If you could edit your past, what would you change?

I'd stop being so self-oriented as a teen.

21. What is the closest you have came to death?

There've been a couple of close calls in cars over the years: nearly being pushed off the road by a milk truck, going off the road in slick weather and somehow missing the giant tree AND the giant boulder in someone's front yard, coming over a rise in an ice storm to find a police car helping another car on the downslope in my lane.... When I think about it, I occasionally wonder how I have the nerve to get back in a car!

22. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Something I've done under my own with no one else's direct input is figuring out Authority Control and battling my library system's catalog to keep it sort of coherent. It appears, after five years of my bitching and moaning, perhaps the system may hire a firm to do a proper cleanup so we can start fresh and perhaps even keep up with changes going forward.

23. When did you cry last?

I don't know. This is pretty amazing; I usually cry on a weekly (at least!) basis. I've been too tired to cry lately, though.

24. How do you relax?

Reading, crosswords, memes.

25. What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

A household cook and kitchen cleaner.

26. What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Nothing stays the same. Nothing.

BUD LAWS
NEW FEATURE: I have had a set of rules I have learned through this journey. I used to feature new ones on the WTIT Blog. I collected - since I did not write them - 50 of them and then I stopped. We have since found new ones that we will share here. We will feature one every Sunday right here. You can read the complete list here.
51. Do not argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
For the complete list of the "Laws" click here.

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My-New-Favorite-Author Questions

Where do you go to decompress from the world?

Bed. I'd like to go to the mountains, but that's not happening anytime soon.

If given $10,000, what would you do with it?

Pay off any big bills we have. Maybe put the rest toward the mortgage principle.

What is one major renovation you would love to make on your house?

I'd like to get the kitchen and all the upstairs floors redone.

What is one movie that you love and didn’t expect to love?

"Hidden Figures." It may be my favorite movie of all time.

What is the oldest knick-knack you own and what is its sentimental value?

I have some porcelain animals that I've had since I was a very little girl. They may have been old when I got them. There's a hound dog, a shepherd, a deer ... oh, and a praying angel. Very mid-century America. I think they were made in Japan. Remember when that meant "cheap"?

Do you own any books you keep out of obligation, but actually hate?

Yeah. They were Dad's. I don't agree with the insides, but I can't throw them out.

How many countries have you visited outside of the one you live in now?

Depends on how you count, but I'm hovering between 15 and 20 I think.

Have you ever read only part of a book, but claimed you’ve read the whole thing?

Of course. I've got an English minor!! You think I actually read 10 books every semester?? And then there's that history degree: I had 15 books to read about Russia for one class. It did not happen.

Have you ever spent a lot of money on something? What was it?

Our current bed, a Sleep Number, was pretty pricey. And worth every penny!

If you could change your name, what would it be?

If I told you, I'd have to kill you.

What is a nickname a former (or present) lover gave you?

I don't really enjoy nicknames, so I don't encourage them.

How do you style your hair? If you just would say "cut" what style is it?

I wash it. I blow dry it. I sometimes use the curling iron on it. It's about the lowest-maintenance situation you can have unless it involve a crewcut.

How many colors are you wearing now?

Purple, white, blue, black. I may go switch from jeans to some yoga pants soon.

What's one piece of fiction that changed your life?

The Book of Ruth literally changed how I look at people.

Is there anything that has made you unhappy recently?

{{chuckle}} oh yeah

Tell us about the job that you did before your current one or last one.

My between-library-jobs job was delivering newspapers. Do I have to explain that--it's pretty simple. Get up, pick the papers up from the drop, bring them home and bag them, take them out and pitch them onto porches before 6 a.m. (7 on weekends)

What was the last song to get stuck in your head?

I've had Paula Abdul's "Cold-Hearted Snake" stuck today ALL DAY! And I haven't heard it in eons, so I have no idea why!

What is your least favorite thing to do that you have to do everyday?

Get out of bed.

Best time of your life?

Didn't we do this already? Probably my 20s.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?

Surviving. I don't really have major goals. Would be nice to do some cleaning out and organizing.

BUD LAWS
52. A bank is a place that can lend you money, but only if you prove that you don't need it.
For the complete list of the "Laws" click here.

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The Questions of Age
Editor's Note: Today our questions have a different format. This is not a “fill-out-the-blank” exercise. Rather, we’d ask that you to “finish the paragraph”. As always, we are trying to learn more about you, our friend.

1. By a certain age, women should

...do whatever they want to be happy. Learn to say "no" to everyone. Learn to say "yes" to themselves.

2. By a certain age men, should

...do whatever they want to be happy. Learn to say "no" to everyone. Learn to say "yes" to themselves.

3. When I was young I thought by now I would

...know what the FUCK was going on around me! Honestly, I find myself more and more amazed by my lack of knowledge every day.

4. Now that I am older I wish

...I hadn't wasted so much time being moony.

5. You know that you are too old to do an activity when

...it hurts more than it's fun.

6. You know you are too young to do an activity when

...you can't follow the rules despite actually trying.

7. When I was in high school I listened to the music of

...the era. I am the pop radio queen!

8. When I was in college (or the next four years after high school) I listened to the music of

...alternative college hits, and Top 40. I really got into EVERYthing in college: punk, blues, new wave, thrash rock, jazz, reggae...

9. These days, at my age I find myself listening [the] music of

...Spotify. I have hours and hours of good tunes pegged there. Best invention ever. And no Taylor Swift at all. Yay!

10. For my last birthday I

...was all alone. Poor me, right? (not)

11. On my next birthday I want to

...get a present. I have seriously low expectations!

12. The best birthday present I ever got was

...I got a cowboy hat and boots one year. It was a good year.

13. The first time I felt that I was an adult was when

...I had to go look up the word "escrow" before signing a mortgage. Also, shopping for a furnace was a pretty big pointer that I'm not a kid anyomre.

14. The last time I felt like I was still a kid was when

💡 .... maybe this is why I eat so much junk! I feel like a kid when I think about my diet over the last couple of weeks: Cheetos, Pop-Tarts, Dunkin Donuts and other fast food gems... This could actually be a breakthrough.

15. I would sum up 2016 by saying

..."that was last year, and it sucked pretty much completely, with one or two bright-ish moments."

16. I hope I will sum up 2017 by saying in December

..."thank God we got rid of all of the Trumpsters early enough to save the country!!"

17. So far in terms of age, I feel my first big milestone was

.... I am struggling to remember that far back. The earliest 'grown-up' thought I remember is realizing that part of the reason mom & I didn't get along most of the time is because we were so much alike. I was about 12.

18. As I look forward to the rest of my life’s journey, I feel my biggest milestone of my life will be

...learning to deal with my own stuff and not taking on everyone else's to distract myself from my own issues.

19. By the time I was the age I am now I am surprised that I haven’t yet

...been diagnosed with a terminal disease. Two of my sisters were; one of them was dead in 8 months, the other lingered for a decade.

20. By the time I am 65, I hope that I have

...a pension. At this rate, in this state, they might have emptied the fund of the money I've been "saving" for 30+ years.

BUD LAWS
53. The network evening newscasts start off by saying "Good Evening" but then proceeds to spend the half hour explaining to us why it isn't.
For the complete list of "Bud's Laws of Life" click here.