Friday 5

(Link in meme-roll)

Zihuatanejo

1. What could use a good shining?

My windows. I noticed this morning that they are in need of washing (among other things).

2. When have you recently had to stand in a slow-moving line?

Probably at a store somewhere. I don't go in to shop very often, and avoid crowds wherever possible.

3. What was your favorite childhood counting-out game to determine who was it?

"Eeny meeny minie mo, catch a tiger by his toe..." which I later found out was just barely not horrifyingly racist. There was also "One potato, two potato, three potato, four..." which I think is still relatively ok to use.

4. Is anything feeling thinner these days?

I feel thinner--my pants keep sliding down--but the scales say different. My patience is also pretty thin these days, along with my attention-span.

5. What do you know about Maine?

I know it's beautiful, has wonderful food, interesting people, good hiking, and a LOT of trees. I hear the coast is nice, but I go to the center when I go.

Sunday Stealing

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Friday Questions

1. Have you ever tried to learn (or re-learn) a foreign language as an adult? Which one? What worked for you?

I have a minor in Spanish, but I've really had to relearn how to speak it properly as an adult. I definitely still hear it better than I say it.

2. Do you donate blood? Do you know your blood type?

I'm O+ (boring), and I can't donate anymore. Too much bad ju-ju in my body these days.

3. Have you ever been in a play or musical?

As a tiny child, yes, once. I've been in the orchestra of a couple of musicals.

4. Do you use certain text or ring tones for specific people? Who gets their own? Or do you just use the default on your phone?

Oh yeah. My extended family has been designated the Darth Vader Theme. Beast is a U2 song--wow, that's a bummer, since it's doubtful he'll ever call me again--Sparky is "Crazy Train" from Ozzy, and I've got the doctors and other people like that set up with their own sound. I'm really pathetic, to be honest. Oh, and a small number of best friends have their own ring too.

5. When did you get your first digital camera? Do you still shoot on actual film, or all digital now?

I think we bought our digital camera towards the end of the 90s. It might still be around here somewhere, too.

6. What do you think someone else would say the most daring thing you’ve done is?

Oh, I don't know. People would undoubtedly say different things about this.

7. Do you talk with your hands?

Yes. Bigtime.

8. Do you have a lucky number? What is it, and what is the story behind it?

Not really. I like 3.

9. What kind of milk did you drink, growing up? And now?

2% as a kid, sometimes mixed with powdered milk (yuck). We 'graduated' to skim by the time I was a teen. Now I rarely have milk in the house.

10. What is your favorite kind of pie?

Fruit with a nice light crust.

11. Are you a note taker?

Yup. And a doodler.

12. Do you have an eclectic mug collection, or is your stuff all matchy matchy?

We have a shit-ton of coffee mugs which are basically never used since I don't drink coffee at all, and Beast can't drink coffee--and isn't at home anyway. I need to clean the house out, starting some time later than today.

13. Do you have a junk drawer in your house/garage/at work/wherever?

At home, yes. I guess I do at work too, come to think of it.

14. What is the longest amount of time you’ve worked at one job – and what was/is it?

I've been employed at my current workplace for just about exactly 22 years.

15. How old were you when you took your first commercial flight? To where did you fly?

We flew Denver to Milwaukee when I was a small child. I remember because it was my brother's first flight too and I remember him looking out the window as we landed. I was probably 4.

Sunday Stealing

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Let's Pretend

1. What is your middle name?

Well, according to the Social Security database, it's in the top 40 names of the last century, but it hasn't been in the top 200 list since the 1950s when it was only in the top 70 or so names. I don't think I've met anyone my age or younger with that name, but you all certainly would recognize it as a "real name" if you heard it.

2. What is your favorite color?

Blue. And I'm not really fussy about what blue: teal, baby, navy, denim... Blue.

3. What’s your lucky number?

I don't think I have one. I don't "play the numbers" as a rule so it's not much of an issue. I have some "favorite" numbers, but not because they're "lucky."
However, there are some weird coincidences in our family in terms of birthdays: lots of people born on the 27th or 25th of various months and we have a pretty good record of having kids born in years ending in 3 since 1933, except we missed 2003 because my nieces missed the program.

4. Do you have any pets?

Just our little guinea pig, Pinto.

5. Where are you from?

This pretty little planet between Mars and Venus. It's lovely. You should visit. Maybe not during hurricane season, though.

6. How tall are you?

At my tallest, I was around 1.73 meters. I've shrunk some since then though.

7. What shoe size are you?

I'm running at about 10 these days. Somehow, it feels like they just keep growing, but I think it's just that my arches keep falling more and more.

8. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Ha ha ha ha. I'm not quite Imelda-level, but my mom kind of was...it's a goal. We all need goals, right?

9. What was your last dream about?

I have had a bunch of super-weird dreams this week. Lots of traveling, packing, and cleaning. Yeah. Go nuts with all that interpretation.

10. What talents do you have?

Ugh. Right now, it seems my talent involves headaches and irritated GI tracts. Not feeling the joy today.

11. Are you psychic in any way?

I don't even know if I buy psychic powers, to be honest. Sometimes things happen that are creepily coincidental, but I don't think it's psychic.

12. Favorite song?

"Amazing Grace" either the traditional version (sung fairly straight) or Chris Tomlin's version. Though a good gospel version will rock me too.

13. Favorite movie?

Shoah.

14. Are you religious?

Yes.

15. Have you ever been to the hospital?

Of course. I was a candystriper for cryin' out loud. I spent time in hospitals from about age 2 as a visitor (very sick sister). I take Beast to the hospital again this Thursday for another nerve treatment. I spend a lot of time in hospitals. I've only been a patient IN the hospital twice though, thank God!

16. Have you ever been in trouble with the law?

I've gotten one ticket in my life. And I got pulled over last spring because my car came up as suspended, according to the cop; he was really sweet, and it was because Beast's license is suspended, not the car.

17. Have you ever met any celebrities?

Not really. It's not my thing to search them out.

17. What color socks are you wearing?

I have naked feet. It's still summer in my house!

18. Have you ever been famous?

Noooo....I've been in the paper a couple of times when I was interviewed at work. I don't really think that counts, though; both times were local papers.

20. Would you like to be a big celebrity?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

21. What type of music do you like?

I like almost every kind of music, especially if I understand it. Like, I don't really get Asian music but that's probably because I have no conception of how it works, what it's supposed to sound like.

22. How many pillows do you sleep with?

Just one. I have an extra for reading in bed, but it puts my neck at a weird angle for sleeping.

23. What position do you usually sleep in?

Always on my side. Would love to sleep on my stomach sometimes, but not with a CPAP on my face. The only time I ever sleep on my back is if I have an upset stomach. I know, don't ask.

24. How big is your house?

It's about 2100 sq. feet plus basement. FAR too large for two people, but it's full of cra ...er, furniture and uh, stuff, that one or the other of us refuses to get rid of: "we might need it someday."

25. What do you typically have for breakfast?

Usually a bagel with some kind of (sliced) cheese on it.

Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
The Mad Hatter's Meme

What’s the meaning or inspiration of your blog’s title?

My first blog was called Sweet Dreams. It wasn't a big stretch that when I created a blog just for memes to make the rhyme thing happen.

What do you consider your biggest strength?

I generally can think clearly in emergencies. My auto-pilot mode is solid.

What do you consider your biggest weakness?

I chatter too much and I'm far too opinionated.

Tell us why we should like your favorite band.

You can like whoever you want. I like a lot of different bands for many different reasons. But U2 is one of those "good band for many reasons" bands.

Who is your favorite model of all-time? Why?

Uhh? That one guy... OK, no really, I don't even.

Does it bother you when people talk about their pets? Why?

Not really. I mean, if they're way too gooshy-smooshy about them, it gets old. But I'm not likely to get irritated at people talking about their kids, so pets are fair game too.

Tell us about your favorite holiday.

I love Thanksgiving. It's really all about family and gratitude and food. I can get behind all of those things! It only lasts one day, there's no ridiculous month-long decor that needs doing. It's just perfect.

What was the last fabulous meal that you ate? Where were you?

I haven't had "fabulous" for awhile, but yesterday's impromptu stop at Applebee's was good. Haven't been there in a very long time. In fact, maybe I'll have the leftovers for lunch.

What’s your lucky number and why?

I pretty much don't believe in lucky numbers. I do return to 3, 8, and 16 often though. Wish I knew why the latter two were involved; I totes get 3.

What are five things you hate?

The smell/taste of liver; mean/catty behavior; selfishness; nails on a chalkboard; endless gray wintry days.

What are five things you love?

The sound of kids unselfconsciously giggling; reading; the smell of cooking food; the taste of sugar; sunny autumn afternoons.

Tell us a secret you can because other than us, who’ll read this anyway?

I really do only watch car races for the wrecks. (OK, it's truck racing this afternoon--same thing)

What is the favorite body feature of yourself?

I like my hands and feet and hair.

Is there a tattoo that you want? If you don’t have one, gun-to-your-head so you have to get one, what would it be?

I'm not much interested in tattoos. If I had to get something, it would probably be my son's initials somewhere bony: ankle or hand.

What do you love about yourself?

I love that I'm tough and stubborn and willing to stick the hard stuff out.

What do you hate about yourself?

I hate that I have a hard time making decisions so often.

Who is someone you miss?

My dad, my sister Ellen, MIL and FIL and Mom. Lately it's been my sister Jean, since I'm going to her son's wedding this week and she often despaired that he would ever have enough sense to make it to adulthood. We are harrrd on our men in my family!

ABCs and 123s of the internet

I haven't done this in a long time. The idea is to type each letter of the alphabet and each number, one at a time, into the address bar of your browser. Take the top URL and type it next to the appropriate letter in the list. This works best if you haven't cleared your cache/history in awhile. So here's mine from today. Can you tell I'm doing laundry, i.e. killing time? I'm eliminating the most obvious hits for each letter (Amazon, Facebook, etc.). These results, especially the second set, do seem to be somewhat tied to my location, so a lot has been edited.

A - http://apps.facebook.com -- which I haven't used in eons!
B - http://www.biblegateway.com -- no comments on this one; I use it a lot
C - http://consumerreports.org/hospitalratings -- a little cheat there since the first hit was a little too close to my personal life; on the other hand, I have no idea why I was looking at this, or even when!
D - http://davidellisdickerson.net -- what?? OK that's weird; I haven't visited that site in weeks, but ok
E - http://ew.com -- yay, I'm back on their subscriber list! But I don't visit the site that often normally
F - http://http://www.flightstats.com -- I'll be using this again this week while Beast is traveling
G - http://goodreads.com -- yuppers
H - http://happyplace.someecards.com/ -- hmmm, this was a little tricky to find; I had to search https://h instead of just h
I - http://inoreader.com -- my RSS feed reader
J - http://www.jpetrie.net/ -- specifically this post ... because I'm a word nerd.
K - http://kwizgiver.com -- :D
L - http://languagehat.com -- one of the blogs I've been reading the longest
M - http://mail.[myworkplace].info/zimbra/?client=advanced -- my work email
N - http://www.netflix.com -- which I only use at work
O - http://overdrive.com -- library ebooks downloading
P - http://peapod.com -- why, yes, I am a customer there
Q - http://quoteyard.com -- sad but true
R - http://random.org -- ditto above
S - http://snopes.com -- (once I got rid of my own blogs)
T - http://translate.google.com -- I do use this a lot for quick checks on things I'm not sure I'm following in Spanish
U - http://urbandictionary.com -- don't go there that often, but often enough, I guess
V - http://vsp.com -- insurance...I really REALLY need to call them!!
W - http://wikipedia.org -- and I'm not the least bit ashamed
X - NO HITS
Y - http://youtube.com -- really, I do watch too many videos, but not nearly as many as Sparky!
Z - http://www.zillow.com -- odd, really odd but probably the only Z available
0 - NO HITS
1 - http://10.0.0.1:8000 -- this is the IP address for the Holiday Inn in Marion, Ohio; we were there on vacation in March
2 - NO HITS
3 - http://3.bp.blogspot.com -- from a photo I either posted on my blog, or found on someone else's blog; can't remember
4 - http://www.4shared.com -- no clue
5 - http://53.myprewards.com -- don't use these
6 - NO HITS
7 - NO HITS
8 - NO HITS
9 - NO HITS

The corollary to this meme is just Google-searching each letter, or rather typing in each letter to see what the first hit is in the auto-complete. Here I'll do the actual first hit, and then the last of the choices on that list. And I'm eliminating anything identifying where I live, so sports teams and restaurant hits aren't included. ;-)

A - (zero actual searches starting with A); Amazon and Auto Trader
B - Bat (search*); Best Buy and Buzzfeed
C - Calling Peru (search*); Craigslist and Chase Online
D - Daniel Tammet savant (search*); Dictionary and Discover
E - Element 11 (search*); eBay and Edline
F - Fringe bangs (search*); Facebook and Frozen
G - Gewurztraminer (search); Google and Gamestop
H - Harry Potter series (search*); Hotmail and How I Met Your Mother
I - Iran Contra (search); Instagram and iTunes
J - JLS (search); Jimmy Johns and Jordan Belfort (who?)
K - Kirchenlexikon westheimer (search*); Kohl's and Kay Jewelers
L - Labrinth express yourself (search); Linkedin and League of Legends
M - Movies [my zipcode] (search); Mapquest and Minecraft
N - Norway Kristiansand (search*); Netflix and Nike
O - OCLC holdings symbols (search*); Old Navy and Overstock
P - Presbyterian youth triennium (search); Pinterest and Powerball
Q - Queen cakes (search); Quizlet and Qwop (huh?)
R - RSS feed http://libraryreads.org/ (search); Redbox and Rate My Professor [where I just spent 20 minutes checking my son's profs)
S - Spaghetti sauce [recipe] (search); Southwest and Starbucks
T - Travis Obendorf (search); Target and Tumblr
U - USPS tracking (search); United Airlines and Ukraine
V - Voxer (search); Ventra and Viooz (no clue about EITHER of these)
W - Webmd symptom checker (search); Walmart and Weather [Big City Near Us]
X - (no searches); Xfinity and Xoom
Y - (no searches); Youtube and Yahoo Sports
Z - Zimbra (search*); Zillow and Zipcar
0 - (no searches); 0-60 Times and 00 Flour
1 - 11.5/17 (search); 12 Years a Slave and 1800Flowers
2 - 2789/25 (search); 2014 Calendar and 22 Jump Street
3 - 3000/12 (search*); 300 Rise of an Empire and 3 Days to Kill
4 - 433 e washington st [nearby town] (search); 4Chan and 49ers
5 - 55/3 (search); 53 and 5 Guys
6 - 6/17 (search); 6PM and 6 Weeks Pregnant
7 - (no searches); 7-Zip and 7th Heaven Band
8 - 8/3 (search); 8Tracks and 80s Songs
9 - 9781608862801 adventure time kaboom (search*); 9Gag and 90s Toys

_______
* designates searches done for work-related purposes

Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
Random Twenty

1. Last time you had butterflies in your stomach?

I get butterflies (a.k.a. anxiety) quite often when I'm heading home from work. It's a long bummer of a story.

2. What was your last alcoholic beverage?

I think I had a drink at a P.E.O. meeting a few months ago.

3. Who can you trust?

God. And to a lesser extent, Beast, Amy, Jenny, myself, and a surprisingly large number of people who generally are hiding in the woodwork around me.

4. Where was your first kiss with your current significant other?

Uh, wow, it was towards the end of our freshman year in college. So, 31 years ago this month.

5. Favorite band?

U2.

6. What is something you've learned about yourself recently?

That I'm very bad at making changes in my life for myself when I'm not being held accountable.

7. Do you like anyone?

Nope. Everyone sucks. [Did you not see my answer to #3?]

8. Do you know anyone who is engaged?

Hmmm, no I don't believe I do. I know of some engagements, but I don't know the people myself.

9. What's your favorite number?

Gut-favorite: 16. Chosen favorite: 3.

10. Who was the last person to make you cry?

I teared up at church this morning while we honored our retiring financial secretary. We're honoring her--and she's retiring--because she has fully metastasized cancer that means she'll probably be gone by Father's Day.

11. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?

Nope. Went on a couple of weekend church retreats when I was a teenager, but that's all.

12. When was the last time you cried?

This morning. Really, if you're going to ask, listen to my answers, k?

13. What is one thing you miss about your past?

I miss the mountains. Pretty much daily. After 28 years of living in the flat middle of the country, the mountain-ache isn't quite as strong, but not a day passes that I don't think about the smell, the sky, the weather, the lack of humidity, the vastness .... SOMEthing.

14. What is one thing you've learned about life?

It goes on, with or without my attention.

15. Are you jealous of anyone?

Somehow, for the most part, that emotion has mostly died off over the years.

16. Is anyone jealous of you?

You'd really have to ask them.

17. Has a friend ever used you?

Of course. Depending on the usage, it either ruined the friendship, put it on hold for awhile, or barely registered.

18. Has anyone recently told you that they like you more than as a friend?

Most people say that--if they say anything of the sort at all--which is fine since I'm always hunting for new friends.

19. Who was the last person you drove with?

Sparky went with me to the grocery store after lunch.

20. What are you looking forward to?

... I got nothin'. This should probably worry me, eh?

Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
My Random Randomness Meme, part 3

1) What room are you in?

Living room.

2) Can you solve a rubix cube?

No, though I can spell it properly.

3) Are you psychic in any way?

There are some occasional incidents that are randomly freaky but probably just coincidence.

4) What star sign are you?

Scorpio. Comin' up, yo!

5) What's your favorite color?

Blue.

6) What's your lucky number?

I don't really believe in "lucky" numbers, but I like 3 and 16.

7) Do you have any chores that should be done now?

Always. There's a load of laundry each in the washer and dryer.

8) Did you have a cherished childhood teddy bear or other toy?

Yes. I have a small pink mouse that was purchased at the Denver train station when I was very little.

9) What was the last thing you bought from a vending machine?

I bought animal crackers for "dinner" last Monday before a meeting.

10) What shoe size are you?

9-10 women's.

11) How many pairs of shoes do you own?

That's along the lines of asking my age, only in my case, I'm more likely to tell you my age than the size of my shoe collection. It might be that I don't know exactly, or that I can't count that high.

12) If you were prime minister/ruler of the world what laws would you make?

"Be kind", "Do unto others, etc.", "Stop with your ego trip already."

13) If you were a super hero what powers would you have?

Invisibility.

14) ...and what would your hero name be?

Invisibrarian?

15) ...and what outfit would you wear?

How would that matter? I'd be invisible!

16) What was your last dream about?

I don't remember. First time in several days--I've had some weird waking-up dreams this week. Today, I was just so freakin' tired that I wasn't even dreaming. Yay for sleeping 4-7 a.m.!!

17) What would you do if you won the lottery?

Not tell anyone except Beast, and our accountant for as long as possible.

18) Would you like to build/design your own house?

Been there, done it. It turned out even better than I could have dreamed. I love this house! We have the floor plans--if we ever move, I'm voting we rebuild it at the other end.

19) Which form of public transport do you prefer?

I love riding on trains. Show me a subway or commuter rail and I'm all about it! I especially love The Tube in London, but I've also ridden the Metro/a in Beijing, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rome, D.C. and Chicago (not the L, just Metrarail).

21) Can you juggle?

Only metaphorically.

Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
The Wackadoo Meme, part 1
(as presented by A Very Cranky Cat.)

1.] What age is your youngest aunt?

All of my aunts have been dead for at least two decades, and none of them was under 70 when she died. I am the "oops youngest" of two parents who were the youngest in their families--my mom was also an "oops youngest"--so all their family members were grandparent-aged when I was born.

2.] Do you miss someone right now?

Yes, actually I do. I'm also quite irritated with the situation and just did some low-level Facebook pruning. There's a time and a place for people to spend their lives navel-gazing but I'm done being ignored. I'm sad about it, but my patience is over.

3.] What can you see North West to you?

North of me is the dining room window and jury-rigged A/C unit outside of it. West of me is Beast's recliner and beyond that a wall and the powder room. Northwest (all one word, uncapped) is the dining room and the kitchen beyond it. I'm usually facing northwest whenever I'm in my 'appointed spot' in the living room. Yes, our house is oriented oddly.

4.] Do you like bowling?

Since I've spent literally less than 100 hours in my life doing it, I don't mind it, but it's clearly not a priority.

5.] Can you pronounce Italian words?

Yes. Everyone can pronounce Italian words; it's more a matter of how well one pronounces them, I think. Would an Italian understand me? Perhaps. I do better than most Americans do, I'm sure. ← feeling rather snobby today, aren't I?

6.] Do you prefer black or beige coloured jackets?

Black. My clothes dirty by thinking about stains, so light colors are not my friend.

7.] Do you own a hoodie?

Of course. I even own three!! {{eyeroll}}

8.] Do you like roasting marshmallows on a bonfire?

I don't mind it, but I don't really like to eat them, so it's kind of ridiculous for me to do it. I'd rather have them right out of the bag, thanks.

9.] Do you like cheesy puffs?

I like crunchy Cheetos. A lot. But not the big fluffy ones as much.

10.] What's your name without vowels?

Unpronounceable. The letters alphabetized are CHHLNRRSTTTTWZ. Go nuts working that out, especially since I may or may not have added something extra.

11.] How many layers of clothing are you wearing?

Underwear, T-shirt and short cotton sweats. So, depending on how you count, one or two. Essentially, it's summer so it's "wear the bare minimum" time of year.

12.] When was the last time you got a take away? What did you have?

The last time I got "takeaway" was the last time I was in England, I'm sure. Over here in Leftpondia, we do "carryout" or "drive-thru" and I had that for breakfast this morning.

13.] If you could climb any mountain or range which would you choose?

See, here's why I'm not Edmund Hillary: I don't just climb things because they're there. I go places and do things because I want to GET SOMEWHERE. So, this question, to me, is meaningless. I've hiked the Colorado Rockies enough, and I would do it again, because it gets me away from annoying parts of my life that I can't unload anywhere else. Alone at the top of a mountain, only God can hear you screaming and cursing.

14.] Do you alphabetically arrange anything in your room? What?

No. No, I do not. I know, that's probably hard to believe. The only thing I alphabetize in my house is my spices. Oh, and I guess things like Christmas card lists and other card-files.

15.] Have you ever visited fat-pie [dot] [com]?

Nope. And I'm not going to do it now.

16.] Do you prefer sweet or sour fruits?

Uhm...fresh fruits. I don't care after that, though I suppose the sweet ones are more traditionally mentioned. But I like a good sour grapefruit too.

17.] Do you like Flo Rida? Which song of his?

Yeah, I don't mind his stuff, though it all does pretty much sound the same, which means I can't actually think of any of the titles of his songs.

18.] How are your dancing skills?

HAH!

19.] What is your favorite number?

My usual go-to answer here is 16, or 8.

20.] Describe your best friend to me?

He's out mowing the lawn. Just search the blog for the word "Beast" and you'll get a fair outline at this point.

21.] What is your favorite alcoholic drink?

V&T, lime twist. Prefer Stoli, but Grey Goose isn't bad. And for God's sake, go easy on the tonic!

22.] Do you do any sports or have you done any sport professionally?

Nope and nope. I used to play tennis with my dad occasionally. That was fun.

23.] What is your ringtone?

I have many. Not one per person, but certainly about 5 for different levels of friendship. That reminds me--may need to do some weeding a la #2 there, too.

24.] Do you like chilli flavoured chips/crisps?

Nope, and now we have even more proof that this is a Brit-meme. Not a lot of chilli-anything in this country; we prefer our spelling of "chili" or "chile."

25.] Do you curl or straighten your hair?

Nope.

26.] What's the nicest smell of shampoo?

"Clean." The hotel shampoo this weekend had patchouli in it, which was REALLY weird considering we were at a Crowne Plaza. And the conditioner was avocado and mint. My hair essentially developed an identity crisis as a result of all that.

27.] What smell turns you on? How about turns you off?

Smells aren't really by go-to turn-on sense, but I like that "clean" smell mentioned above, and wood smoke. The turn-offs include cooking liver, skunk, cigarette smoke, sewers, and mold/mildew.

28.] Who's your favorite comedian?

Depends on the day. Overall, I'll go with the sentimental favorites: Bill Cosby and George Carlin.

29.] RnB or Reggae?

Reggae. I don't really get R&B sometimes. Reggae's all about partying.

Unconscious Mutterings

(Link in meme-roll)

1. 537 :: ...538, 539....
2. Horizon :: Edge
3. Episode :: Event
4. Character :: Personality
5. Crossed :: Xed
6. Shipping :: Sending
7. Jump :: Leap
8. Bowling :: ...Ball
9. Grumpy :: Crabby
10. Them :: They

Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
The 11/11 Questions meme

What is your favorite possession?

I'm not sure I can answer this. My bed ranks up there. My laptop, too. My house. There are quite a lot of small things that I cherish. Nope, can't pick one. Sorry. Moving on...

Do you like to read? If so, which books do you love best?

Uh, yeah, I read. Sometimes. I like good books.
This question made my brain hurt--I read all the time, mostly mysteries and history.

Do you have any pets?

We own two guinea pigs.

What was your favorite food as a child? Is it the same now?

I really loved cheese as a kid. Still do. Not sure if it's my absolute favorite, but it'll do for the purpose of this meme.

What is your favorite thing about blogging?

It's the laziest way to feel like I've written something.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

In the mountains in a small house with a really good internet connection and not too far from a public library.

What is your favorite number?

4,328,109. Or not.

Which of these things would you find hardest to give up for a year? Chocolate, reading, coffee or smoking?

Reading. Two of the things on the list don't apply to me at all, and I don't eat very much chocolate.

If you could make your life into a movie, what would you name it.. and who would you want to play you?

I would prefer to produce, not write or direct (or, feh, star!), so they could do the naming, and the hiring of actors. Of course, I would want to be able to veto ridiculous choices, like, oh, Paris Hilton or Angelina Jolie.

If you had £20,000 for a shopping spree, what would you buy?

Furniture. Not necessarily all for myself, though. First thing I'd do, however, would be to change it into American money. ;-)

If you could eat lunch with one famous person, who would it be?

Meryl Streep is the first person to spring to mind, so...ok, I'll go with that.

The Queen's Meme

(Link in meme-roll)
The How Many Christmas Meme

1. How many Wisemen were there?

Traditionally, there were three. However, Matthew doesn't actually give a number. Our Christmas program at church has had anywhere from one to five over the years. And this year we aren't actually DOING the Christmas story itself.

2. How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh?

Again, according to the traditional Clement Moore poem, the answer would be eight. But Rudolph makes nine.

3. How many gifts are under your tree?

Right now, zero.

4. How many classic holiday movies can you name?

"Classic" according to whom? I don't particularly care for "Christmas movies" though, except for Home Alone.

5. How many stockings are hanging from your mantel?

Three. For real.

6. How many Christmas trees do you have?

Two in the house, one at church.

7. How many days are in the twelve days of Christmas?

Er? Yeah. OK, twelve. I can't find a loophole on this one. ;-)

Friday Fill-Ins

(Link in meme-roll)

1. Summer is hot and wonderful. I'm loving it this year.

2. My desk here at home is unchanged: it's still a complete mess.

3. Aargh! I'm completely out of sorts tonight.

4. Maybe I can sleep in in the morning.

5. Seven: the perfect number. Supposedly.

6. People are really strange, don't you think?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed early (I hope), tomorrow my plans include cleaning our bedroom and bathroom, and Sunday, I want to go to church because it's Grace's last day! :-(

The Queen's Meme

(Link in meme-roll)
The Threes Meme

3. Where were you 3 hours ago?

Right here, reading the most idiotic blog ever, written by a local crank who is running for sheriff, and who 'outed' an undercover vehicle for no good reason today. Moron.

3. Is there anything pink within 3 feet of you?

The handle of the nail file on the table next to me is pink, unfortunately.

3. Name the 3 scariest places in the world.

Top of my desk here at home, any random middle school, and (scariest) inside my boss's brain.

3. Name the 3 loveliest sights you've seen lately.

My son making cookies by himself this evening, the ugly water tower across the way being disassembled, and the completed slate of Elders for next year.

3. Name the top 3 Bands in the year you were born.

The Beatles, Lesley Gore, and The Kingsmen.

3. Walk to your front door. Go outside and get in your car. Drive 3 miles East. Describe 3 things you saw on your way.

If I did that right now, all I'd see would be dark roads. If I did it in the daytime, I'd see the notice of a new baby born (apparently) to a family of one of the firefighters, about 7 Road Construction Ahead signs for one small bridge that's out near our house, and lots of dried-out cornstalks.

3. I, Queen Mimi, have sentenced you to a 3-day diet of your most sinful cravings. [In w]hat will you be partaking?

Lots and lots and lots of sugar and carbs: sugar cookies, pop-tarts, and ... well, uh, Stoli, I guess.

3. Go back to question #3. Change the first word to "travel" and let me know if you survived. I'll hold a room for you in the dungeon in the meantime.

I think I'll just head directly to the dungeon. I need a nap.

The Queen's Meme

(Link in meme-roll)
It's a Numbers Game

1. Do you ever play the lottery? If so, what are your lucky numbers? Don't worry. I won't tell anyone.

I don't play the lottery. I've bought exactly 1/2 ticket in the past 25 years; yes, I went in with someone else and we lost. I don't really believe in lucky numbers, anyway.

2. Did you do something special on 10/10/10 yesterday? I heard that lots of people got married. Are all of you still the same status as of today?

Same status. I did all kinds of fun stuff: church, football, baby shower, sleep.

3. "I've got your number!" Who would you like to say that to or who is the last person you said that to?

Sparky, yesterday. Pretty weird: I don't say it very often!

4. How many sheep do you count before you fall asleep?

This has never worked for me; I get way too involved in counting. Normally, I do crosswords or Sudoku till I'm dozing, then I drop it quickly, hit the lights and zonk out.

5. It's almost birthday time for the Queen. Do you believe that age is "just a number"....or is it something else more insidious and frightening???!!! **I am suddenly having a panic attack**

The alternative to getting older isn't great. I'm going with the lesser of two evils on this one for as long as is feasible.

6. How many zeros are in a trillion?

12

7. How many sixteenth notes does it take to equal a whole note?

16

8. (because I can) How many 8 balls are on a pool table?

1

Unconscious Mutterings

(Link in meme-roll)

1. Detective :: Investigator
2. Bangs :: Fringe
3. Consultant :: Mediator
4. Puzzle :: Confuse
5. Learn :: Discover
6. Necklace :: Jewelry
7. 184 :: 185 (?) (and yes, I Googled and Wiki'd this to see what I was missing...I even tried Urban Dictionary...)
8. Stimulation :: Alert
9. Layered :: Shaggy
10. Police :: Security

Cinco

Your Spiritual Number is Five

You bring adventure and change to people's lives. You are willing to challenge your friends and push them to grow. Right now, your life is about figuring out where to direct your energy. If you're not careful, you can become too unreliable or flighty. You need the perfect project. You live a free form life - which allows you to be very innovative and a great problem solver. Rules, schedules, and structure practically destroy you. You have to do things your own way.

What's Your Spiritual Number?

I'm in two minds about that last sentence. I like rules. But I like breaking the rules, when appropriate, too. I dunno, I think I'm more rule- and schedule-bound than not.

Curious as a Cat

(Link in blogroll)

1) Who do you think is the most moral political leader in power today?

Uh...my 'gimme' for this one is Nelson Mandela, but he's not really "doing" politics anymore. Perhaps Aung San Suu Kyi. (See, I do read the paper sometimes...!)

2) Do you have a "lucky" color? A "lucky" number? "Lucky" clothes?

I don't think I have lucky colors or numbers, but I do have some weird mojo with clothes that just feel better on me. Several of them are shirts of my dad's, but the flannel shirt I'm wearing right now is also very comforting.

3) Who is the worst-dressed person you know?

In general, Michael Moore is probably up there. However, I don't know him, so I'll go with Sparky, who is so totally clueless that I really think he'd wear the same thing everyday 24/7/365 if it weren't for the whole b.o. thing.

4) What is the best thing you have ever had for breakfast?

I'm liking the cookies I've been eating today! As far as "real breakfasts" go...we had a really nice meal at the Nantucket in Milwaukee several years ago that included a buffet and mimosas.

5) 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

I have developed a thing for lighthouses over the past four or so years. I'm not sure what the deal is, but I do like them, both architecturally and metaphorically. However, I have not gone so far as to start studying them, or planning vacations around them!

Saturday Six

(Link at left)

1. If you were to count to three on your fingers, would you hold up your thumb, index and middle finger, or your index, middle and ring finger?

Index, middle, ring. I know someone who counts backwards: pinky, ring, middle: weird.

2. What was the last thing you remember counting in your home?

How many pills I had left in a prescription.

3. When you are listening to someone who uses repetitious phrases when speaking, such as, “you know,” how many of them do you generally need to hear before you begin subconsciously counting the occurrences?

I don't ever do this. Or, I guess I should say, I've never done this, but I probably will start now! :-)

4. Take the quiz: What is your expression number?

When I did it before, I was a 1. I suspect, since my birth name is still the same, it still is 1, and it still seems to fit.

5. You’re calling a friend on the telephone and he’s not home: assuming he didn’t have voicemail, do you actually count how many rings go by or do you just hang up after a time you feel is sufficient for him to answer?

I never remember to start counting at the first ring, so I never know if I've counted right. I do start counting after two or three rings, though.

6. You go out to eat and you order a plate of twelve chicken wings. Do you actually count them before eating?

No. I'm probably busy listening or talking to whoever it is I'm having dinner with.

Life Path

Your Life Path Number is 6

Your purpose in life is to help others You are very compassionate, and you offer comfort to those around you. It pains you to see other people hurting, and you do all in your power to help them. You take on responsibility, and don't mind personal sacrifice. You are the ultimate giver. In love, you offer warmth and protection to your partner. You often give too much of yourself, and you rarely put your own needs first. Emotions tend to rule your decisions too much, especially when it comes to love. And while taking care of people is great, make sure to give them room to grow on their own.

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Can I say how much I hate this answer? Unfortunately, it's pretty accurate.