Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
Why Do You Want To Know That Meme, part four

76. What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

I probably wasn't listening to the absolute best that was given, but "Trust yourself" is pretty close to the top of what I remember.

77. Is it easier to forgive or forget?

Much easier to forget. SOOOOOoooo much easier!

78. First mobile phone?

I didn't get one till about 10-12 years ago. Maybe 2002?

79. Strangest dream?

I have strange dreams nearly every night. No, actually, I'm sure have have strange dreams EVERY night, but I remember only the ones in which I'm enmeshed when the alarm wakes me.

80. Best dream?

See above. I have some really awesomely funny weird dreams....

81. Who is the smartest person you know?

Depends on what we're measuring. Book-smart? Experience-smart? Emotional-smart? I know an awful lot of very smart people, for whom and for which I'm ever-thankful.

82. Who is the prettiest person on you know?

It's rare for me to run across someone I can't find some sort of beauty in. There are very few truly ugly people out there, even the ones whose exterior isn't easy on the eyes.

83. Do you miss anyone right now?

Yes. Always. It ebbs and flows and right now the tap is WIIIIIDE open.

84. Who do you love? Why?

I'm trying to work on loving everyone. It's not easy.

85. Do you like sharing?

I'm the Queen of Sharing, which is also something I'm working on, and also not easy to change.

86. What was the last picture you took with your phone?

I posted this to Facebook last Wednesday. Yes I'm a little behind on the origami calendar.....

87. Is there a reason behind everything that happens?

Sure. Or at the very least a teachable moment.

88. Favorite genre of music?

"Good"--I like lots of genres, including classic rock, heavy metal, rap, R&B, country, folk, indie, Christian, Middle-Eastern, funk, old pop (like Sinatra, Crosby, Clooney, Lee), Afro-pop, reggae, ska, house, what my dad called "long-hair music" (a.k.a. "Classical)....

89. If you had one word to describe yourself, what would it be?

"Unfinished."

90. Describe your life in 5 words.

"I don't have a clue."

91. Craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Crazy from whose standpoint? Mine when I did it, or looking back on it? Craziest thing I can think of that turned out great and that I never have regretted is going to college 1000 miles from home. In so many ways, that's when my real life started.

92. First three songs in your favorite playlist?

The first three I added to my starred list on Spotify are "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" by Billy Joel, "Fadeaway" by Da Bodeans, and "Black, White, Tan" by Nicole Mullen. Alphabetically by author (and omitting bands starting with numbers), it's "Wake Up" by Aaradhna, "My Savior My God" by Aaron Shust, and "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. Alpha by title (and omitting numbered song titles): "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran, "ABC" by the Jackson 5, and "Ackee 1-2-3" by The English Beat. That gives you a fair approximation of what my headphones sounds like at work.

93. Are you more creative or logical?

I'm more logical most of the time.

94. Would you rather lie or hurt someone with the truth?

I'm too honest by far about answering people's questions, though I have learned a tiny bit of tact over the years.

95. What are you most proud of?

The growth I've accomplished over the past few years in delineating boundaries, in forgiving myself and others for being human, and for standing my ground.

96. What personality trait do you admire in other people?

Joy.

97. When you imagine yourself as really, really relaxed and happy, what are you doing?

Sleeping. hah OK, or playing with kids. Or reading in the sun.

98. How do you usually start a conversation?

"Hi" usually works for me. Not real creative (see #93), is it? Often I open a conversation with a question: "Can you help me?" "What's your name?" "How do you know [the host or whoever got me there]?" Simple is better.

Compare/Contrast

I was tagged by Kwizgiver.

The Rules: FlutistPride's Compare and Contrast Challenge Rules:

• Do not compare and contrast yourself with yourself. That defeats the purpose of this challenge.
• You are not limited in your amount of comparing and contrasting, but please keep your post coherent and readable.
• Link to the blogger you intend to take the compare and contrast challenge.
• The challenged blogger must be informed via comment section or E-mail order to be obligated to post. If they explicitly decline, they are no longer obligated to participate.
• Do not vex anyone who declines.
• The Compare and Contrast Challenge is not intended to be demeaning to any party. Do not use belittling remarks, even if they are jokes. Save your viewers the headache of trying to read your intentions through a screen.
• There is no particular time frame the challenge should take place in.
• Let the other blogger know you compared and contrasted yourself to them. Invite this person to challenge others.
• Tag your post Compare and Contrast Challenge if you are participating or challenging someone else.
• No one has to challenge you in order to participant [sic]

I'm choosing to tag Amy at Get It All Down.

First, we compare

• Amy and I read everything, all the time, whenever possible
• Amy and I listen to music all over the spectrum
• Amy and I are bloggers with the same approach (throw it at the wall; see what sticks)
• Amy and I like to follow precise procedures when at work
• Amy and I are Midwesterners with Moxie who want to go somewhere very people-free on a regular basis

Then, we contrast

• Amy is single and child-free, and I'm married with one (grown) child
• Amy lives in the town in which she grew up, and I live 1,100 miles from where I grew up
• Amy enjoys and appreciates cooking, and I do not
• Amy adores and thrives on poetry, while I like it just fine and that's about it
• Amy has a law degree, and I would've gotten thrown out of my family if I'd taken even a single law class

Sunday Salon

(Link in meme-roll)

Time:

8:20 p.m.

Scene:

Sitting in the newly-rearranged living room surrounded by three men I love: husband, son and brother. All of us are online--Beast has two computers in front of him--and the Cavs-Warriors game is on TV, muted. The sky is finally blue for the first time today.

Today's plan:

We didn't do anything much today. I slept in, and then we all sat around and talked. Sparky went back up to the city where he went to college and played D&D with some friends. We talked to my sister and her husband, and then my other brother-in-law called so we had a three-way chat briefly. It was good. Pizza from P@ul##s for dinner.

Listening to:

Desultory conversation and the A/C just turned on. Oh, and the hum of electronics' fans.

Drinking:

Just switched over to plain ol' water for pre-bedtime to take my allergy meds with. Not that they're helping. I feel like death.

Blogging about:

Well, this.

Reading:

A Pleasure and a Calling (Phil Hogan)--cuhreeeepeeee, in a way only the Brits can be; The Sixty-Eight Rooms (Marianne Malone)--fun little elementary-age book; The Magician's Land (Lev Grossman)--just as I finally got into it, the ebook expired, so now I have to wait for three people to read it before I get it back....sigh; Alphabetical (Michael Rosen)--interesting book about the, uhm, alphabet; The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)--I love the author's reading voice, but I'm not wild about the story; Back on Murder (J. Mark Bertrand)--ebook, slow, gotta know how it turns out, not a good book, but compelling; Jesus (James Martin)--haven't actually picked this up for a month or so, but I will eventually.

Yes, "all at once": three ebooks, one audiobook, and three four* old-fashioned paper books. Because that's how I roll. One book in the bathroom, one in the bedroom, one at work, and one backup in the bedroom. One in the car, one on my phone, and two on my Nook. They're all different enough that I'm not confused.

Giving thanks for:

Peace and family and not having to be 'fancy.'

* Oh, and there is another one I haven't added to GoodReads yet. I started The Bible's Cutting Room Floor (Joel Hoffman) on Friday at work.

Curious as a Cat

(Link in meme-roll)

1) Which quality best describes your life--exciting, organized, dull--and why?

Dull, at best. I do not like drama, and there has been FAR FAR TOO MUCH of it in the past year. My life is also fairly tightly scheduled between work and volunteer and various meetings, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it organized!

2) What book quote, film quote, or song lyric has been sticking with you this weekend? Why?

Having said that about drama above, these lyrics started chasing around:

It feel so good
When you let go
Of all the drama in your life
Now you're free from all the pain
Free from all the game
Free from all the stress
So find your happiness

(Mary J. Blige, "No More Drama")

Prior to that it was this:

Me an' RJ an' the kids was on a camp-out in the mountains, and we had us one'a them U-Drive-'Em Army Jeep cars which we rented from a fella by the name of Kubozke for thirty bucks a day, buy your gas along the way, take a rabbit's foot and leave a pint of blood for a dee-posit...

(C.W. McCall, "Black Bear Road")

I could go on, if you'd like. Got the whole thing memorized.

3) Paper, plastic, or your own?

Plastic or my own. Depends on where I'm shopping, and for how much. Big days are my own bags, but if I'm stopping for bananas, cheese, and bread, I'll just take a plastic bag. I take them to work to use when people need a bag on rainy days.

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. 2014

Yes. Yes, I do occasionally take pictures in bathrooms, but NEVER of people. This TP dispenser just cracked me up. We stopped at a mini-mart/souvenir stand while driving through the mountains near Mountain City, TN, earlier this year and this is what I discovered while using the necessary. It wasn't nearly as bad as advertised, incidentally.

Patrick's Place

(Link in meme-roll)
Sunday 7

Name seven things you like about your home state.
I'm in a bit of a quandary. The state in which I've lived for the past 17 years still doesn't feel like home; the state in which I grew up and lived for 18+ years is home. Is that ever going to change?? I'm challenging myself today to come up with seven good things about where I am now...

1. Winters are (slightly) less horrific than the state just north of us. We lived near one of the Big Lakes then and the sun essentially disappeared for 2-3 months every winter. Yuck.
2. Everything grows here, no special gardening skills needed. Plant it and ignore it--PRESTO!
3. Water. Everywhere. In the good sense, that means droughts (REAL droughts) are uncommon and wildfires virtually unheard of.
4. I still love my house. It's been 7.5 years since we moved in and I adore it.
5. There is culture all around us: theater, dance, music, whatever, all within 90 minutes of my house in dozens of venues.
6. Unlike where I grew up, there is a solid, functional mass transit system in place. While we don't have a 'real' bus system where I live, we are on a commuter train line, and near a major airport.
7. I have a great job, a good church, and a wonderful safety net of family and friends here.

Monday Mayhem

(Link in meme-roll)
All About You

1. What time do you usually wake up in the morning?

My alarm is set anywhere from 5:30 until 6:45 a.m.

2. What do you do for the first hour of your day?

It depends, but I usually turn on the computer and hack around for at least a half hour. Getting dressed and taking my meds are also on the list, among lots of other things.

3. Where did or will you have for lunch today?

I had a slice of leftover pizza.

4. What did you or will you be eating lunch?

It was around 12, maybe slightly after. I don't remember for sure.

5. What is your best high school memory?

Hanging out at Gatti's.

6. Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes.

That's like asking someone to choose their favorite child. Can't be done.

7. What does a perfect Sunday afternoon include for you?

Football, pizza, and leaves scuttling along the street outside.

8. Was there one book that you read as a child that you still cherish?

All the LIW books, the Narnia books, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.

9. How would the people that know you personally describe you?

You should probably ask them. I've heard various things, including antagonistic, moody, smart, funny, kind, and goofy, but those are only what I've heard.

10. How would the people who only know you online describe you?

Again, you should probably ask them, but I've seen funny, snarky, smart, and cranky. Which is about right for my online personality. ;-)

11. How will you be treating yourself today?

I'm going to bed pretty soon. The rest of the day was a very cranky day...all day. Gah.

12. What is your definition of being spiritual? Are you spiritual?

Yes. I believe in God, I base many decisions on that belief, and I try semi-often to connect with the shards of God in me. Usually not all that successfully.

Curious as a Cat

(Link in meme-roll)

1) Have you ever taken someone else’s things by mistake? What did you do?

I picked up a bag at a meeting that was exactly the same as my work-bag but it belonged to the director of a differently library. Fortunately, we figured it out before we left the meeting. It was freaky.

2) You've just met someone from a very warm planet. Describe ice to this person.

I'd just shove the alien in a meat locker for 5 minutes. Why use words? They will be useless, like describing "red" to someone who's been blind since birth.

3) What is the single worst thing about living at this point in history?

The possibility of nuclear annihilation.

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.
Public Domain Photo

Mmm, pasta. This looks absolutely fabulous, although I'd probably use a lot less tomato if I made this. It's pretty to look at though.