Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)
I Miss You (1997)
... because Smellyann suggested it
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Bjork knows what she's looking for in a mate, she just hasn't met him yet. If you are/were still looking for The One, what two qualities would you hope he/she possessed?

I'm not. But the things about Beast that I appreciate the most are his quick-wittedness (not just sense of humor, but intelligence), and his loyalty.

2) The lyrics ask if you believe "that a dream can come true." Do you believe that dreams come true if you wish hard enough?

"Wish"? No. Sometimes hard work can make them happen, but sometimes only good luck will make a difference.

3) Bjork turns 50 this year. Do you treat "milestone" birthdays differently? Or to you, is your age just a number?

I turned 50 a couple of years ago and that was a sorta-big deal. Generally though, it's just a number. I judge my age more on what happened to those in my family at that age; ages 47-55 haven't been kind.

4) Bjork was always highly musical. At the tender age of 6 she began studying classical piano and flute. Sam is impressed because at the age of 6, she was still trying to master tying her shoes. Do you consider yourself musical?

Yes. I took piano lessons as a youngster, played flute and piccolo from junior high into college, and love to sing. Music is really important to me.

5) She was born and raised in Reykjavik, Iceland. While the city is known for its bar scene, beer was banned there until 1995. How often do drink beer?

Never. Yuck. I've had, perhaps, the equivalent of one bottle of beer total in my lifetime. When I was on the train from Irkutsk to Beijing they ran out of everything to drink but Chinese beer, so I gagged some of that down till the train stopped and I could buy a bottle of fruit juice from someone on the platform.

6) 66ºNORTH is one of Iceland's biggest employers. This clothier makes quality outdoor wear and this time of year they sell a lot of durable rainwear. Do you have a raincoat?

I have a windbreaker. I used to have a London Fog raincoat that I loved. Then it got caught in a car door. And it was, fashion-wise, very dated, but I adored the color (sort of a shimmery copper).

7) In 1997, when this song was popular in clubs, Titanic was popular in theaters. Sam saw it and yes, she cried. How about you? Have you seen the saga of Jack and Rose? Did you enjoy it?

I believe I have seen all of the movie, though perhaps not in one sitting, and not until about 10 years after everyone else saw it 20 times each in theaters. I'm way more interested in the true stories of the tragedy than fiction.

8) Also in 1997, singer John Denver died. Name a John Denver song.

It's been that long?! Oh dear. "Annie's Song", "Rocky Mountain High", "Grandma's Feather Bed", "Calypso"....so many.... I loved that man; he meant my childhood.

9) Random question: If you had the opportunity to sky dive, would you take it?

Hmm. Had you asked me 10 years ago, the answer would have been an unqualified YES! Now, though...I'm not sure. More age=more fear.

Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
The Useless Questions Meme

· Have you ever written a song?

Nope. I leave that sort of thing to Sparky. He's written several. Not sure any of them have been set to music or been performed, but he's got pages and pages of lyrics. Not that I'm allowed to see any of them.

· Have you ever been in the opposite sex's public toilet?

Of course. I work in a library. I have to make sure all the bathrooms are empty before we leave. At my first job, the fusebox was in the men's room, and it was my job on nights I worked closing to go flicker the lights at 10 minutes before closing.

· Are you superstitious?

More than I'd like to admit.

· What's the most daring thing you've done?

I have no glib answer for this. Lately, I have to say getting up and facing the day feels pretty damn daring sometimes.

· Did you have a baby blanket? Do you still sleep with it?

I probably did, I'm sure I did. I didn't hang on to it past babyhood though. In fact, maybe that's one of the blankets my mom dumped on me a decade or so ago that I eventually threw out.

· Have you ever tried to cut your own hair? If yes, how’d it work out?

Uh, yeah. I did once memorable time as a child. It didn't go well. Inch-and-a-half-long bangs is not really a good look. I've cut small areas as an adult, to even things out, once in awhile, but not often.

· Have you ever sleepwalked?

Yes. I only know about once, again as a child. It's entirely possible I've done it as an adult too, but no one has caught me.

· If you could be any age, what age would you be?

25 sounds good. Old enough to do everything including renting a car, and young enough to enjoy it.

· What is your dream car?

Mechanically faultless, comfy inside, GPS and XM radio and heated seats. Basically, Beast's car. Be nice, though, if it got good gas mileage.

· What is your favorite cartoon of all time?

Wow. I totally used to read all the funnies on Sunday, up until about 15 years ago. My favorite overall is probably anything by Berke Breathed, but so many bring back good memories.

· If you were in a car sinking in a lake, what would you do first?

Break the window and get out. 'Course, since I can't swim, it wouldn't help much. [I do have one of these in the car, just in case.]

· Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?

Nope. Why is it that when you get the opportunity to do this, mostly your mind is focused so completely EVERYwhere else?

· How many foreign countries have you visited?

My TripAdvisor says 13.

· If you fell into quicksand, would you try to swim or try to float?

I'd be still. Seems to me that's the agreed-upon best-case scenario.

· Do you talk in your sleep?

Yep. Not nearly as much as Beast does, though.

· Have you ever slipped in the bathtub?

Yes, but I recovered safely each time. So far.

· If you could invite any movie star to your home for dinner, who would it be?

Gwyneth could come cook for us, I guess.

· Have you ever re-gifted?

Of course.

· If you could attend an Olympic Event, what would it be?

It would be the least populous event. Biathlon? Women's weightlifting? Ping-pong? Whatever. I do not like crowds.

· If you could participate in an Olympic Event, what would it be?

Nothing athletic. So maybe shooting...which is ridiculous since I've never even held a real gun.

· If you won a $5,000 shopping spree to any store, which store would you pick?

Meijer.

· What do you think is your best feature?

My brain.

· If you were to win an Oscar, what kind of movie would it be for?

Probably a comedy, or a horrible scum-uncovering documentary.

· Which of the five senses is most important to you?

I fear the loss of my vision the most.

· Would you be a more successful painter or singer?

Painter. People will buy ANYthing if they're convinced it's art. But you can't fake-sing.

· How many years will/did you end up going to college?

Four years of undergrad, three semesters of grad school and a lot of continuing ed over the years.

· Have you ever had surgery?

Yup.

· What do you like to collect?

Dust.

· How many collectibles do you have?

Does Beast count? I have about five dozen sets of S&Ps. Maybe more. I haven't actually counted them.

Patrick's Place

(Link in meme-roll)
Saturday 6

1. How did you come up with the name of your primary blog?

The original first blog is my initials which are, ironically enough, the acronym of a professional organization in my field. It gave/gives me great pleasure to have snagged it before they could. The next one was named after an 80s song I like and then changed to a different 80s song I like, and in between this one popped up as a riff on one of those 80s songs. I have about 12 others which are equally difficulty to trace (hah).

2. List the links of all of the blogs you currently write.

The ones I'm willing to publicize are:

• http://curiousasacat.blogspot.com/
• http://safadedjeans.blogspot.com/
• http://1goodthing.blogspot.com/ [which hasn't been updated for almost 3 years]
• My reading blog uses a different login but you can access it from the second blog listed above.
• I have refgrunt (similar to this one), and while it's not hidden and it's not hard to figure out the URL, I'm not posting the link here.

3. Have you ever been dared to do something completely outrageous, and did you actually accept the dare? (You don’t have to specify what the dare was unless you want to.)

Sure. Nothing illegal, but certainly I've done quite a few things outside my comfort zone.

4. What grocery store aisle do you tend to have the most difficulty avoiding?

In the sense of absolutely HAVING to go there every time, it's either the soft drink aisle or the cheese section. In the sense of trying not to buy stuff in it, probably the candy aisle.

5. You’re going to pay to see a movie in a theater: are you more likely to want to see a comedy, a drama, an action movie or a "chick flick?"

Probably an action movie.

6. Have you ever accidentally referred to a current date with an ex's name?

Nope. I was fortunate to only date two guys with the same name, neither of which is Beast's, and they all had VERY different names otherwise. I have more trouble getting Beast's name right when I've been talking to (or about) my brother, who shares NO letters with Beast, but has a similar vowel sound. Because English is like that.

Monday Mayhem

(Link in meme-roll)
HAVE YOU or WOULD YOU...

Kissed a cow? Have you ever touched one?

I have not kissed a cow, but I've definitely touched several.

Give[n] your pet a Valentine?

I probably did that when I was a kid, maybe even when we had our dog, but I hardly have time to get the people I love Valentine's gifts nowadays.

Do[ne] something odd with candy?

Uh? Like...what? Candy should be eaten, of course, quickly. I suppose, it has been used as decorations on children's projects, but I can't think of much else.

Go[ne] out with someone based solely on looks?

I have. I don't do much dating anymore... lol

Go[ne] out with someone just for the meal?

Not that I recall, nor would I.

Fall[en] in love with 2 different people at the same time?

I have loved more than one person at once, but "fallen in love"? Noooo....

Place[d] anything before love?

Yes, I have. Uhm, I think we need to define our terms. I would think that love is pretty motivational for most things under most circumstances.

Believe[d] in true love? How would you define true love?

Sure. Whatever. Hate this concept, actually. True love is what you make of a relationship after the first blush of excitement fades.

Send/Sent another blogger a Valentine?

Sure. In fact, I did.

Do[ne] something really stupid in the name of love?

Of course. Haven't you?

Write a really cool Monday Mayhem?

I have not, nor would I; I have my own Monday meme.

Curious as a Cat

(Link in blogroll)

1) What is one food you will never give up?

Complex carbohydrates. Bread, to be specific.

2) Would you be willing to eat a bowl of live crickets for $40,000?

Nope.

3) You have just been granted the power to make anyone in the world do something each day. Who would you choose, and what would you make him or her do daily?

I would make people do something kind for someone else, something that would not really benefit the person doing it, but would meet a major need of the recipient. The doer could choose anything; I'm not that much of a control freak.

4) 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. 2006

Oh how I wish I could be there now. Summer. In the city.

Sensational?

(Found at Amy's)
BBC Sensation Seeking Test

Thrill and adventure seeking - you score 5 out of 10
This consists of items expressing desires to engage in sports or activities involving some physical danger or risk such as mountain climbing, parachute jumping, scuba diving, speeding in a car, etc.

Experience seeking - you score 5 out of 10
This descibes the desire to seek new experiences through the mind and senses by living in a nonconforming life style with unconventional friends, and through travel.

Disinhibition - you score 1 out of 10
This describes the need to disinhibit behaviour in the social sphere by drinking, partying and seeking variety in sexual partners.

Boredom susceptibility - you score 2 out of 10
This indicates an aversion for repetitive experience of any kind, routine work, or even dull or predictable people. Other items indicate a restless reaction when things are unchanging.

Your total sensation seeking score is 13 out of 40


More on sensation seeking
Sensation seeking is a personality trait expressed in behaviour as a tendency to seek varied, novel, complex and intense sensations and experiences and to take physical risks for the sake of having such experiences.

These experiences could take the form of extreme adventure activities such as skydiving, snowboarding and mountain climbing. But the trait can also express itself in high drug, alcohol or tobacco use.

Men generally score higher than women on the total score and on all the subscales except Experience Seeking. Sensation Seeking Scale scores increase during childhood, peak in the late teens or early twenties, and thereafter decrease steadily with age. [my emphasis]

People with similar scores on the Sensation Seeking Scale also tend to be more romantically compatible with each other.

Divorced males score higher than single and married males, and divorced and single females score higher than married females.

Hmmm, I guess I got dinged a lot for appreciating all kinds of people--not just the popular, exciting folks--and for not needing to drink or do drugs to have fun. OK, so that's perfectly fine then.

Monday's a Bitch

(Link in blogroll)
Random Joy

1. Have you ever partaken in a dare? What did it entail?

Yes. It involved going on a month-long 10,000-mile trip.

2. Do you live with anyone who has any particularly annoying living habits?(e.g., leaves toilet seat up, forgets to give messages)

a) I live with a teenager; b) having said that, any bad habits he has are more my fault for not dealing with them than his (though that is gradually changing as he ages); c) Beast's mom mostly trained him well; d) we all have our issues.

3. Who's your favourite advertising mascot? (e.g., Tony the Tiger, The Michelin Man)

I don't think I have one.

4. If you were a high school stereotype, you'd be the...?

...brainiac.

5. Do you like organic food?

I like fresh food.