Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
Art History

1. Do you look forward to the spring?

I live in the upper Midwest; the promise of spring is what keeps us all alive from Christmas Day on every winter. "Oh, I saw a bird today!" "Hey, we got two days of sun in a row!" "Are those tree limbs faintly green?"

2. Which area of the sciences do you enjoy the most?

I love physiology. Not so much biology, but the function of systems together. How things are built to work as a unit.

3. If you could own a classical statue in the form of any figure from myth, religion, or even modern fiction, who would you choose?

Athena. I would love to have a copy of the Athena that stood in the Acropolis when it was in its heyday. Of course, we don't know for sure what that statue looked like--I'd want a miniature of it, not full-size, for the record--despite the fake in Nashville. Why Athena? The goddess of wisdom and war.

4. Do you have a good relationship with your mother?

Probably the best I've ever had with her. I mean, we never argue anymore ... (sad face) ... she died 8 years ago.

5. What is your favorite mythological story?

Hmmm. Trying to do this without looking at anything to prompt me. I kind of love the story of Apollo driving the sun across the sky every day. And the story of Prometheus bringing fire to humans, and the punishment he suffered for it. Pretty brutal.

6. If you put on a big feast, what would you serve?

Chicken, burgers, brats, lots of salads, cake, pie. Basically summer cookout fare. However, my usual feast "style" is Thanksgiving-based, so turkey, potatoes, stuffing, veggies, bread, pie pie pie.

7. How do you have fun? (What is your favorite 'Earthly Delight'?)

Reading? Traveling for sure. Laughing for sure.

8. Do you often look for hidden messages and meanings?

Most of the time. Usually not in the moment, but later. However, I'm also very prone to reminding myself that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

9. Have you ever received an award or special position?

Yup.

10. If a revolution was about to happen in your country, would you be part of it?

Oh, this is the part that's timely! hee Well, let's put it this way: I visited the Soviet Union at the end of its life as a country. When the U.S. starts to feel like that, I'll be fighting. My dad fought in WW2, I have read extensively about the Holocaust, and when I see that happening here I'll be fighting. I'll let you decide if either of those (or both) scenarios have any application today.

11. Have you ever planned an act of revenge?

Oh, I've done a LOT of planning!! The question is whether I've ever carried any plans out, though, isn't it?
A former boss told me once that the best way to get through a fraught situation is to quietly plan the demise of the person causing trouble. This has stood me in good stead through many meetings since.

12. What is the most dramatic thing you have ever done?

I don't generally DO dramatic. Maybe throwing the bag of trash back at the people who flung it one night decades ago at the lakefront on July 4. All the boys in our group were like, "Sit DOWN, what are you DOING!?!" I've done some really shocking, scary things over the years, but I wouldn't call them dramatic per se.

13. Do you care about your weight?

I care, but it's clear that I don't care enough to deal with it responsibly.

14. Is your life moving too slowly or too fast?

It's really moving at a pretty reasonable speed right now. Parts could go faster. Parts could slow down some.

15. Do you prefer to stay in the shade?

Yes. I'm a pale-skinned, easily-burned person. And, metaphorically, yes.

16. If you could have any mural on your ceiling, what would it look like?

I wouldn't. These have always made me wonder about the people living in the house. Do you WANT people to be staring up while you're talking to them? Or do you expect people to be so bored that they need something to look at while they're visiting?

17. Do you enjoy the countryside?

heh ... Yeah, I do.

18. Are you a romantic?

Nope.

19. What is your favorite historic subject?

Early Church history, c. A.D. 30 to 200. I also like WW2 stuff, as mentioned above. And the Middle Ages. I just like history, can you tell?

20. Do you prefer landscape paintings?

Nope. I've always needed to have some people in the frame to interest me. I have memories of ENDLESS slide shows of landscapes/scenery as a child. "Didn't you take any pictures of PEOPLE, Dad???"

21. Are you interested in social issues?

Uh, yeah. You could probably say that. Those (few) of you on my Facebook feed are probably rolling your eyes and going, "Nonstop, man, nonstop."

Late Saturday memes

(Both are linked in the meme-roll)
Patrick's Place -- Saturday Six

1. How many flashlights do you own?

We probably have close to two dozen scattered around the house, in virtually every room. I even have one at work plugged in and charging under my desk. We lose power (at home and at work) often enough that this is important.

2. When did you last use a flashlight?

Last night when I was bringing the laundry up to our room after Beast was asleep. I needed to see where not to swing the basket as I passed his feet.

3. When is the last time you lost power at your home?

Within the last month. Like I said, it happens fairly often. I don't even pay a lot of attention anymore; we have a generator, and even when Beast is out of town, I have directions on how to connect it up to the house electrical panel if we're dark for more than a few hours. I haven't had to do that (yet) this year, though.

4. How many light bulbs do you have installed in various fixtures in your home right now?

In counting them up, I get about 42 on the main floor (and porches and garage) of the house, about 32 upstairs, and I didn't even try to deal with whatever is going on downstairs in the basement! So, yeah, about 100. And why do they seem to all go more or less at the same time? I did not include Christmas tree lights, by the way. lol

5. Of those, how many bulbs are the new "CFL" bulbs?

At least half. Some of our lamps don't accept the shape/size of the CFL bulbs, and several of our fixtures require really odd-shapped (smaller- or larger- than standard) bulbs. Where we can, we use them.

6. If you could eliminate either the old-style Edison bulbs or the new-style CFL bulbs, which would get the axe and why?

I'm not really much of a fan of either. The new ones are dangerous if they get broken, and the older ones are designed to fail. The old original Edison bulbs were much better in terms of conservation. Really hate fluorescents, though, 100%!

Saturday 9 -- Band on the Run

1) This song is about a band of musicians that escapes on an adventure. Do you consider yourself spontaneous and adventurous?

Of the two people currently living in this house, I'm way, way, WAY more spontaneous. But we're both rather adventurous in slightly different ways. We like a good challenge.

2) Paul McCartney and Wings traveled all the way to Lagos, Nigeria, to record Band on the Run. That's a long, long way from London. What's the farthest from home you've ever been?

Beijing.

3) Wings featured Linda McCartney on keyboards. Paul said that when Linda died, after almost 30 years together, he lost the love of his life. Who is the love of your life? Or have you yet to meet him/her?

Well, I've been married 27 years, have known Beast fairly well for three years before that... So I guess that means Beast is the love of my life. In the words of Tevye & Golde: It doesn't change a thing / But even so / After twenty-five years / It's nice to know

4) Paul has said he's very proud of Band on the Run, his most successful post-Beatles album. Brag a little. Tell us something you're proud of.

I'm really proud of my son, for whom I can't completely claim credit, but it is nice to see him getting more mature and dealing with the pitfalls of life with some calm and sensible ways. We talked today for the first time in almost two weeks and he has been dealing with a helluva a lot of not-good-things this past week, without once calling us to whine.

5) Paul's birth certificate reads "James Paul McCartney." He's named for his father, Jim. Are you named after anyone?

I'm, supposedly, named after a friend of one of my sisters. They 'suggested' it to my parents because the girls felt my parents' name-choosing skills had been shown to be lacking in the extreme. I'm not so sure the name I ended up with was any worse than anything my parents would have picked. My dad, after all, had had a sister named "Rowena" which is a delightful name, not that I have any idea that they'd've used it!

6) Paul enjoys oil painting in his spare time. What's one of your hobbies?

Wasting time.

7) 20 Forthlin Road, Paul McCartney's boyhood home, has been turned into a museum by the British government. It's a modest 2 bedroom cottage, with a drainpipe that Paul used to climb to sneak in after curfew. How would you describe your childhood home?

My dad designed and built it--it's one of two in the world with the same floor plan. Two bedrooms on the main floor, a full basement with another (big) bedroom, a playroom and lots of storage (and a second bathroom). When I arrived on the scene rather tardily, Dad added a room above the garage that became the master bedroom (it is a GIANT room: probably something like 12 x 30'). The hallway to the bedrooms on the main floor curves to create enough space; if the corner had been squared, there would be no hallway.

8) Paul is 5'11". How tall are you?

I'm about 3" shorter than he.

9) Actor Christopher Lee is on the album cover. He played Dracula in a series of movies in the 1950s and 1960s. Who is your favorite vampire?

I'm not really much into vampires, having seen 'Salem's Lot at an impressionable age. I find the whole concept way past creepy, medieval in all the bad ways, and kind of nauseating. And that's just the 'traditional' vampires; do NOT get me started on the more modern 'sparkly' variety!!

Blogthings

You Should Visit Africa

When you think adventure, you don't think small. You are looking for the greatest time of your life. You're the type who likes to go somewhere new each time you travel. And you're always trying to top your last trip. You like to push yourself outside your comfort zone. It's not a good trip unless you're a little scared and a lot homesick. You travel to experience the world in the wildest way possible. You want to have great memories for the rest of your life. Africa is the perfect continent for you to 'go big' travel wise - and have an adventure that everyone you know will envy. From kite surfing to cliff diving to off road safari-ing, Africa is a trip that would be hard for even you to top!

What Continent Should You Visit?

Right! I would so love to go to Africa! I do not care a whit about other people being envious, and I think adventures can be found small- and large-sized, and I have no interest in being scared or homesick; I'm adventurous not foolhardy.

Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
The "What's Your Story" Meme

1. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten in public?

Well, I guess we have to go back to 1985 when I ate some kind of weird thing that looked like a little Frito hat that turned out to be soft. And sweet. Still have no idea what it was, but it didn't kill me, and ultimately it tasted ok, once the surprise wore off.

2. If you had to go on an adventure, with elves, dwarves, or hobbits, who would you take and why?

Elves. They're clever and better-looking. And magical, I think? But what do I know--I'm not really into fantasy fiction.

3. You are at a rural retreat lodge somewhere deep in Wisconsin or Canada. You are approached by a taxidermist who hands you a stuffed badger and asks you to put it in your lap. What do you do next?

Hit the taxidermist with the badger. What a freakin' weirdo. [By the way, if it's a badget, you're in Wisconsin.]

4. If you were given biscotti, would you prefer it with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

5. In your opinion, who is the funniest man or woman alive today?

On any given day, I vote for any average happy toddler.

6. If you were given thirty seconds on television to say something, what would it be?

I wouldn't.

7. What is your idea of the most romantic date setting ever?

Being in the moment fully with a loved one who is also fully in the moment. Doesn't matter where that happens.

8. If you could go on one date with a movie or television star, who would it be and why?

I'm virtually certain Beast would not appreciate this. Honestly, I wouldn't want to date anyone wealthy or famous; I'm not a fan of publicity.

9. What is the worst song you have ever heard?

There are way too many bad songs to pick just one.

10. If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

Someplace warm year-round, but not humid, and not filled with creepy bugs or other critters.

11. Who--in your opinion--was the greatest person to ever live?

I guess it's incumbent on me as a Christian to say Jesus, eh?

Fun

You Are Crazy Fun

Wherever the fun is, you'll find it. You're always looking to have a good time! You're especially fond of adventures - the wilder the better. You are quite the daredevil. You don't have many inhibitions, and you're trying to shed those that you have left. You love to get your heart racing. You think danger can be a thrill, and you've been known to behave recklessly.

What Kind of Fun Are You?

This is an ... interesting ... result. Not sure there's a lot of accuracy here; I'm certainly not a physical daredevil most of the time.

Aventura

You Are Adventurous

You are quite adventurous and brave, but you are also reasonable about it. You don't have to be on an adventure 24/7. You have good judgment and balance. You like to try new and exciting things, but you also pay attention to risk. You're not the type of person who would throw your life away just to go on a new trip or have a new romantic partner. You like your thrills in small, safe doses. You are gutsy in all aspects of your life from career to relationships.

Are You Adventurous?

'Bout right, yo.

Saturday Special

(Link at left)
~Creative Adventure IV~

1. While sailing on vacation the sea gets rough and your boat hits against the rocks of an island, you (dear God, I'd better not be alone, since I know less than nothing about sailing/boating!!) pray.
2. In front of you is a small cliff with a lighthouse, you take several photos and try to spy a path up the cliff. Oooh, I love lighthouses!
3. You are able to climb the cliff and enter the lighthouse, when you see that the door is standing open and it seems to be abandoned, but only relatively recently.
4. Happy to be able to, you climb the stairs to the top of the tower and take lots more pictures. Also, depending on the condition of that boat, I search the area for anyone who can take me back to my hotel, because I'm practical like that.

Saturday Special

(Link at left)
~Creative Adventure III~
Time again to use your imagination ;-} Fill in the blanks.


1. You are driving down a lonely road at night when in front of you, you see a group of deer at the side of the road.
2. You stop the car and get out to take a photo, and to see why there are so many of them just standing.
3. In the background you hear the gusting wind and the creek some distance away.
4. You return to your car and hope the pictures turn out, and drive home with a smile on my face.