Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
The Gongerling Meme

1. You’re building your dream house. What’s the one thing that this house absolutely, positively MUST HAVE? (other than the obvious basics of course)

When we built the house we currently live in, we each had a "want" list. Beast wanted a fireplace in the living room, so we rearranged one wall of windows and stuck in a rock fireplace with built-in cupboards on either side. I wanted the 'pantry' turned into a full-wall bookshelf in the kitchen and the laundry room turned into the pantry. Done. (oh, and a porch) Sparky wanted a hidey hole or "secret clubhouse" space--he was 10 at that point--and we cut a small door into the storage area under the eaves behind his bedroom and presto!

Nowadays, I think my only request would be a shit-ton of storage because we really own way too much stuff. It's ridiculous.

2. What is your dream car?

A chocolate brown soft-top Jeep. I'd settle for yellow. And it has to come with a dog.

3. What is your favorite website that isn’t a blog.

Inoreader because I can read EVERYthing there. This is closely followed by Facebook, which I think I could ALSO read on Inoreader if I set it up that way!

4. iPhone or Droid, which do you want/have?

I have a Samsung Android phone. I do not support Apple.

5. When you’re feeling down or lonely or just generally out of sorts, what do you do to cheer yourself up?

Play a game, read a book, take a nap. Eat. Some of these are more helpful than others, both in the short- and long-term.

6. Tell me about something or someone that you love that most people seem to hate.

Teenagers crack me up. Not in large sheeplike masses, but individually. They are simply so much fun to get to know.

7. What did you want to be when you grew up?

Free. Out of my parents' house. Otherwise, I just wanted to not be bossed around by everyone on such a regular basis. It wasn't always delightful being the youngest kid.

8. Would you go on a reality show if given the chance?

The only one I would have ever considered was The Amazing Race, but I'm way too out of shape to do it now!

9. Who was your favorite teacher when you were growing up? (Grade school, Middle School, Jr. High or High School only.)

In grade school it was Mrs. Morley (her married name--she was Ms. Groff before that) was, in my 10-year-old eyes the living image of Cher. So cool and nice and modern. In middle school...Mr. Gilchrist was a riot, and I learned a lot from Mrs. White. High school...it seems unkind not to say my band director because everyone else would, and I did like him, but I have to go with either Miss Fitz or Ms. Philippe for a number of reasons.

10. You get one pass to do something illegal or immoral. What are you gonna do?

One free pass only means I'm likely to get hooked and want to keep doing it. It wouldn't be awful if I could get away with robbing a bank without injuring anyone, though.

11. What were you doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago this week was our last vacation with family friends that we'd traveled with for 5-6 years at that point. We got involved in youth group after that and that ate up our vacation time every year. All the grown-ups went to college together and one of their kids is my godson. I've talked about him before--he's an adult now but as a child he was a fucking nightmare (and remember, I like kids!)--and Sparky actually requested that we not go with them anymore because he literally hated this kid. Ironically, I found out last Monday, he and Sparky are now working quite literally yards from each other, not together precisely but in the same place. The dad agreed last night to be Beast's temporary AA sponsor until Beast can get someone who lives closer. Life is weird.

12. By this time next year, I ...

...will be a year older. I am not making any plans beyond the next hour or so. Not today for sure. There's far too much up in the air to even consider what 2017 will look like.

13. What is something that you need to do but you've procrastinated on?

Sort through the aforementioned piles of crap in this house.

14. Which fictional, TV show character you would shag anytime?

Hmmm. Dr. Kovac from ER? Beast would expect me to say Sam from NCIS:LA.

15. What is your greatest pet peeve?

The thing that gets me going the fastest is stupid driving in front of me on the road.

16. Tell me about your most recent trip of more than 100 miles?

More than 100 miles away from home (rather than more than 100 miles round trip) was our trip to the Caribbean in April. We've been to visit Sparky since then, but that's about 105 miles round-trip, more or less).

17. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

Dictionary, though I do use the online thesaurus regularly when I get tired of using the same word. (you are all thinking, "not enough" now, aren't you?!) I haven't used our paper dictionary here at home for years, though.

18. Do you have a nickname? What is it?

Believe it or not, Cat. is not my real first name!

19. What are you dreading at the moment?

Being The Enforcer. Rather, I'm dreading the thought of perhaps having to do that. I hate being the Bad Cop.

20. Do you have a meme you think we should steal? (Yes, an old trick. But c'mon now. I gotta give it a shot. It's a lot harder to find memes now. But it's ok to answer "You're lazy" an call it a day.)

Here ya go, Bud. I can't guaranteed any of them are GOOD questions, but there's a lot to choose from there.

Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)
Freeway of Love (1985)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. (or trust me when I say "don't do it!*)

1) In this song, Aretha's ideal car is a pink Caddy. What's your dream vehicle?

Well, it's NOT a pink car....shudder.... I'd be happy with a Jeep, or a Range Rover, in chocolate brown.

2) Have you ever owned a convertible?

Nope. Not gonna happen. Too many horror stories about leaks from friends who've had nothing but trouble.

3) Aretha longs to "drop the pedal and go." Are you a careful, conservative driver? Or do you enjoy going fast?

I love going fast, but I do try to keep it under control. I'm a big believer in using cruise control to keep myself ticket-free.

4) Aretha's grandmother Rachel helped raise her. Tell us about one of your grandparents.

I've talked about my dad's parents before--they were homesteading when he was born--so I can talk about my grandma on Mom's side. I don't remember much about her except that she always had cold hands. We visited her at the nursing home on Sundays and I would sit on the embroidered footstool and hold her hand while she talked to Mom & Dad. Mom was born when Grandma (not what we actually called her) was over 40, so Mom's brothers were adults when she was a kid, much like me. So basically, by the time I was born, my grandmother was in her mid-80s. Mom didn't talk about her parents much, but I know she went to WCTU meetings as a young child with her mom. Before getting married, Grandma was a schoolteacher in Montana prior to the turn of the last century. She married late for that era to a guy about 15 years older than she was. Even as a kid I wondered if she was that desperate.

5) Aretha played a waitress in the 1980 movie, The Blues Brothers. Have you ever worked in food service?

Yes, briefly. It was long enough, though, to recognize what a hard, unpleasant job waitressing is. And I wasn't even allowed to keep tips!

6) Aretha was a chain smoker for decades and had a terrible time giving up cigarettes. What habit do you wish you could break?

Sugar. I'm solidly addicted. And just generally eating crappy food.

7) A sculpture of Aretha is at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York City. What's the last museum you visited?

Hmmm. Wow. I can't remember! It might have been 4 years ago in Florence!

8) Since Aretha has many honorary degrees, it would be appropriate to refer to her as Dr. Franklin. Who is the last person you addressed by his or her title (Officer, Father, Pastor, Dr., etc.)?

I tend not to do this very often. Perhaps it was the doctor who did my surgery? I call our pastor by his first name. I did call my boss as "Boss" I'm sure, but I don't think that counts.

9) The daughter of a minister, Aretha enjoys singing "church music" and her 1972 CD Amazing Grace is one of the best sellers in gospel music history. Do you have any gospel music on your phone, iPod or MP3 player?

I don't use any of those for music, but I do like gospel music, and I have a whole channel on Spotify dedicated to "Christian" music that I like. TobyMac is my favorite.

_______
* This is one of those songs that is inextricably tied for me to the video, which was IMHO awful and the song was annoyingly overplayed on the radio. Thirty years later and I still had a visceral reaction to seeing this song title....ick

Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
Why Do You Want To Know That Meme?

1. What TV gameshow/reality show would you like to be on?

I used to think I'd do ok on Jeopardy! These days I'm not so sure. It might be fun to do Deal or No Deal if that's still on.

2. What was the first movie you bought in VHS or DVD?

I have no idea. That was probably close to 30 years ago. Maybe RHPS?

3. If you had one million dollars to spend only on yourself, what would you spend it on?

Retirement. In other words, I'd either dump it all in savings/investment, or pay off the mortgage and then save the rest.

4. One place you've visited, can't forget and want to go back to?

We were watching a show about Moscow this morning. Now I desperately want to go back to Russia. In warm weather this time.

5. Do you trust easily?

Depends on what we're talking about. Yes, in some ways like expecting people to do their jobs properly and things of that sort. Not so much when it comes to keeping secrets and being reliable about time.

6. Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?

A bit of both. I'm getting much better at thinking things through, but still fly off the handle regularly.

7. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?

I wish Beast's recovery was going better. That is, I wish it were moving faster. And my boss/work in general pisses me off at least weekly. Even this week, when I wasn't even there the whole time!

8. Do you have a good body image?

I'm realistic.

9. What is your favorite fruit?

Pears.

10. I’m always being asked…

... if I used to work/live somewhere else where I've never been. I look like EVERYone, apparently.

11. The last big belly laugh I had was…

... prior to my surgery. I can't remember exactly, but it had something to do with Whose Line Is It Anyway?

12. What websites do you visit daily?

Facebook, Blogger, Gmail, Inoreader, GoodReads, Random.org at home. Connexion, NIC, SAM, Amazon, work's homepage, Daily Schedule, IMdB, EBSCO, WorldCat, LCSH-ES and LOC Authorities at work, along with the first list.

13. What have you been seriously addicted to lately?

Open-necked shirts. I don't have very many warm ones, so it's mostly PJs this week.

14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

I didn't get tagged, but the person who posted this is weirdly similar to me except she lives 1000+ as the crow flies from me and teaches high school in a lovely--but cold!--part of the world when she's not knitting and/or reading.

15. What's the last song that got stuck in your head?

I haven't heard much actual music this week, so I have luckily not had anything stuck.

16. Favorite clothing?

Right now it's flannel and heavy cotton; warm things.

17. Do you think Rice Krispies are yummy?

Only when they've been turned into Rice Krispie Treats.

18. What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground?

I'd look to see if someone dropped it, and if it were a hopeless cause (like the middle of a park or a street), I'd keep it, and probably use it for something not-so-much-for-me. If it were in a shop or something, I'd probably turn it in to the information desk.

19. Items you couldn't go without during the day?

Chapstick, glasses, food, air. The usual.

20. What should you be doing right now?

I don't really have a "supposed to" list this week. I just took some Tylenol. Beast just turned off the TV, so I think I'm going to read some fairy tales and hold the guinea piggies while Beast cleans their cage.

Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)
Just Give Me a Reason

1) When she first burst onto the scene, Pink was a self-proclaimed tomboy. Now she's glam. Literally. She was on the cover of the June issue of Glamour and is a spokeswoman for Covergirl cosmetics. Does a celebrity endorsement increase your interest in a product?

Absolutely not. I will say that the reverse is often true: celebrity endorsement can often mean that I run away from a product.

2) This song is about a woman who feels her lover slipping away. Do you believe a couple can repair a relationship once it starts to sour?

Sure. If both people are motivated, anything is possible.

3) As a little girl, Pink wanted to be an Olympic gymnast. If you could excel (or, if you do excel) at any sport, which one?

I would love to be good at tennis, and have someone to play with regularly, though I'm not sure now I could last more than a couple of volleys.

4) Pink is married to motorcycle pro Carey Hart. Have you ever ridden really fast on a motorcyle?

Not really fast, no. My brother gave me a long ride on his bike about 30 years ago, and a high school friend gave me a ride on his, months before he was in an accident on that bike that caused serious brain damage.

5) When she found out she was pregnant, Pink says she gave up whiskey and cigarettes … but admits she misses the whiskey. Do you have a habit you know you should break?

Sugar. And self-pity.

6) In 2010, she fell out of the aerial harness that was supposed to carry her across the stage. Are you afraid of heights?

Nope. I am careful about them, but not afraid of them. Heights are not the problem; falling is.

7) Pink enjoys showing off her tattoos. Do you have any body art?

Nope. Not interested.

8) Pink can be very salty in her language. When was the last time you cursed?

I'm sure I've said something today. I swear regularly.

9) On her website, Pink sells 10 different t-shirts. Do you have a favorite t-shirt? What does it look like/say?

I love the T-shirts I got on our various youth mission trips in the past decade; they are quite valuable to me and I wear them with pride.

Follow Friday Four

(Link in meme-roll)

1. Holding my tongue is not my strongest virtue.

2. Any meal I don't have to plan is my favorite meal of the day.

3. The internet is my crack.

4. Whenever an emergency happens, I always try to stay calm.

Saturday 9

(Link in blogroll)
Talking in Your Sleep

1. Has anyone in your life talked in their sleep?

Sparky had night terrors as a wee one, up until about age 3. He just screamed and screamed, the only word I remember was "no!" over and over. Beast occasionally mutters in his sleep. My mom did too. And I guess I do as well. [insert stupid story from 20+ years ago]

2. What do you like about fall?

Sappy but true: the pretty color-show the trees put on. And the fact that the humidity usually takes a dive around here.

3. Do you have an addictive personality?

On a 1-5 scale, with 5 being 100% addictive, I'm probably about a 3 or 3.5.

4. Who was the last person to do something extra special for you?

Without being asked? It was something at work yesterday, which was a toss-off comment from that person, but it warmed my heart. Sparky cleaned the cab of the truck today--a large BK diet Coke tipped over there yesterday--but I'm paying him for that so I don't think that counts; I've had to remind him 3 times.

5. Would you ever take someone back if they cheated on you?

That's 100% dependent on the rest of the situation. I always used to say unequivocally NO, but I'm mellowing. Don't tell Beast. ;-)

6. Are you happy with where you are in life?

Yes. Best years of my life.

7. Do you believe that you can change someone?

When it comes to adults, only myself, and only with GREAT difficulty. Very young children are much more malleable, but I'm still not sure we can essentially 'change' them, just mold behaviors and responses.

8. Have you ever wished you could've had someone but you couldn't?

"Had"? OK, pass.

9. Would you ever fight someone over your significant other?

Would I? Yes. Have I? Yes.

Food 4 Thought Friday

(Link in blogroll)

Breakfast
What is your favorite part of FALL?

The smells and the colors are astounding this time of year.

Lunch
If you could go anywhere this weekend, where would you go?

Mountains, anywhere. Alone.

Dinner
What are you currently addicted to?

Sugar. In virtually any form.

Midnight Snack
Have you already begun your Christmas shopping?

Are you on crack? No. I loathe Christmas shopping. I have bought one thing for my niece's baby, due in early December.

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?>

Fake it till you make it.

Curious as a Cat

(Link in blogroll)

1) Of all the children you know, who do you think will be the most successful? Why?

I guess it depends on the definition of success. I think Sparky will be an awesome guy once he gets over himself a little more. I think the kids in our youth group at church will do all right; some of them will take a little longer, though. In terms of financial success...probably Braden.

2) If you found out that someone you just met is a recovering alcoholic, would that change the way you felt about them? How?

It would make me think they had a great deal of self-knowledge. It would make tell me a lot about them, but it wouldn't change things. I already know a few recovering alcoholics at church and elsewhere.

3) What one possession would you like to take with you to heaven (or equivalent)?

Seems a bit redundant to take anything: surely whatever I need I'll have, including my family and friends.

4) Who is the closest to being an angel of everyone you know?

Uh...babies. In general.

5) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.
Photo © Cat. 2007

This photo was taken from the car on our trip through Kentucky last year. I love the mountains. I think these are the Blue Ridge, and it clearly explains their name.