Tuesday 4

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Wayfaring

1. Where have you traveled and what is the furthest you've been from home?

To riff off the old ad, "I been everywhere, man" but not really. Several countries in Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China, Mexico, Canada about sums it up. Oh, and several islands in the Caribbean. The furthest for sure was Beijing, exactly 12 hours opposite my parents' time zone. I remember writing them a letter knowing that they were at that moment likely fast asleep at home at mid-afternoon for me. Weird.

2. Is there a location other than where you are, that you think would be a nice place to live?

Honestly, while I love several people in this area, I'd rather live someplace else both because of world events but also because of the temperature extremes here. I don't want to deal with snow or humidity. So the western US or someplace similar.

3. Do you have a photo or story from a favorite place to visit?

Today I booked a camp rental on Moosehead Lake (Maine) for next June. Sparky and I are headed there--about half a mile from the very spot where Beast spent many summer vacations as a child--to (shh!!) spread some of  his ashes on the lake. I wanted to go this fall, but Sparky's life is a little too up-in-the-air right now (new job on the horizon, transition stuff making her a little emotionally scattered, etc.) so we pushed it to next spring. I too enjoyed the two-three visits at the original camps with Beast's family, so it will be quite bittersweet but undoubtedly lovely.

4. What dream destination do you have tucked away in  your heart? Do you think you'll be able to visit them one day or are plans in the making?

I've always wanted to visit the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, but I think that dream will have to remain a dream. That, and a wildlife safari, are both a little too adventurous to almost-62-year-old me.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

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1. Have you ever baked bread from scratch?

   I used to do this regularly, then I sort of ... stopped. No idea why. I keep thinking about doing it again, but then I don't.

2. If we decided to have lunch on the porch, and you so kindly volunteered to fix it (thank you), what would you serve?

   Probably cheese, bread and wine, and a lot of laughter. I don't do so well with overly-planned meals as a rule.

3. Show us, or tell us about your key chain (the thing you have on your car or house keys).

   It's a 5-inch metal ring that used to have a whistle on it, 20 years ago. The whistle never worked and was removed long ago, but it's big enough to hang on doorknobs, or gearshifts, and too big to lose, and I love it. Right now it's out in the car (in the garage), and I'm not going out to take a picture of it.

4. Have you ever tried a challenging or dangerous sport? No. I don't mean rush hour traffic, but I understand the confusion. :)

   Nope. I always wanted to parachute, and I'd still go ballooning if I could, but the days of intentionally putting myself into dangerous situations are over.

5. Have you ever written poetry? If not, have you ever had anyone write a poem for you? If you aren't happy with this question, we'll even accept a "Roses are red..." poem.

   I have written a few poems in my life, but not recently. It requires time and dedication and a sort of "floaty" frame of mind that I find myself hard-pressed to manage these days. Instead, I will leave you with my dad's favorite bit of doggerel (by Dixon Lanier Merritt); I heard this poem at least 5 times a year growing up and my mom always shushed and frowned at the swearing.

   A wonderful bird is the pelican,
   His bill will hold more than his belican,
   He can fit in his beak
   Enough food for a week
   But I don't know how in the helican!

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

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1. Are you looking forward to fall?

I like fall, a lot. But I haven't had enough of the HOT summer weather yet to be wishing for fall yet. The last couple of weeks has been way too cool to suit me.

2. What are the three best colors for you to wear, and the three worst?

Best: blue, green, pale yellow. Worst: red, white, bright yellow.

3. What is your favorite kind of juice? If you are not into juice, you can tell us your favorite flavor of soda, tea, coffee, Tang, mud, etc.

I like grapefruit juice, but probably shouldn't have too much of it as it messes with some of my meds. I don't mind grape juice or apple juice, but I really wish it was easier to find juices that don't have a shit-ton worth of sugar added to them. I prefer pop, though, over all, and I'm sure my regular readers know my favorite.

4. Have you ever been in the hospital (at least an overnight)? You don't need to share the ailment, but tell us what the longest time is.

I spent four nights in the hospital when I had my hysterectomy--they thought it was a much worse medical problem than it turned out to be--and four nights when Sparky was born--again, they thought he had some kind of infection that turned out to be a false alarm. Sigh. Medical "practice" in action.

5. Do jingles, songs from ads, and TV or movie themes stick in your head? Do you find yourself singing them? (This question means that I'm trying to find out if I'm the only crazy person who sings quirky stuff!)

Yes. I sing random snippets of all kinds of things and often have no idea why any given tune is running through my head at any given time. I sang "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus" to Beast the other night because the words, "Come on, stand up" made me think of that song, out of the depths of my memory; I haven't heard it sung or played in decades.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

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1. When it's time to cut the grass (mow the lawn), who does it?

Not me. I don't even know how to start the mowers. I'm allergic to grass(es) and Beast actually enjoys the process.

2. If someone gave you $500 dollars and you could not spend it on yourself, who would you spend it on?

It would either go to our church or to PDA.

3. Have you ever taken a blogging break or considered one?

Yes. I blog much less than I used to. I just don't have the urge like I did 5 years ago.

4. Are you bothered by spring allergies or hay fever? If not spring, any other time of the year?
   

   Yup, as mentioned above. I'm allergic to everything in the environment from spring through fall.

5. What's new with you?

Not much of import. My class ended yesterday, not that I did anything the last two weeks. Sparky's finals start tomorrow, so he'll be home next Wednesday for a few weeks before his summer classes start. My new boss rocks. The new children's librarian seems like she's fitting in well too.

Tuesday Choices

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1. Chinese takeaway or Indian takeaway?

Over here in Leftpondia we don't have so much in the way of Indian takeaway. So Chinese.

2. Daffodils or tulips?

Daffodils. The remind me of my sister Ellen, who loved them.

3. Pine furniture or mahogany furniture?

Let's be realistic here: I prefer oak. Or teak. I have a lot of pine-with-veneer though.

4. Enid Blyton or A A Milne?

Again, over here in the States Enid's never been all that. And I adore Milne anyway: "King John was not a good man..."

5. Apple or pear?

Apples are easier to find in perfect condition. I love pears though, when they are at their prime.

6. Beer or cider?

Neither. Unless we're talking about American apple cider...love that with a cinnamon stick stirrer.

7. House or bungalow?

I'm finding this very interesting. American bungalow. Not sure what the difference between American and British, but here they are both houses.

8. Hersheys chocolate or Cadburys chocolate?

Cadbury's.

9. Mountain or ocean?

Mountains.

10. Reality TV or soaps?

Select reality TV shows are good. I haven't watched a soap with intent in over 35 years, despite the efforts of my college roommate and former coworkers.

11. Nightie or pyjamas?

Pajamas.

12. Vanilla coke or Cherry Coke?

Cherry Coke. Real cherry Coke: fresh fountain Coke with cherry syrup. Yummy.

Teaser Tuesdays

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• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "tease" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

"For tribes that maintain beliefs in clan, it is customarily taboo to marry someone of the same clan. There are ingrained cultural concepts that vary from tribe to tribe for handling situations where one has a nonnative parent from whom they would normally receive their clan." (Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer, p. 42)

The book is primarily arranged in Q&A format, so finding two sentences together that didn't involve the question plus one sentence of the answer is tricky. The sentences I quoted are later in the response to the following question: What are clans and do all Indians have them?

Should Be Reading

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Tuesday Teasers

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too.

1. "We left the car on safe ground and followed them down a series of dark winding tracks, without knowing who they were or where they were taking us. I felt alternating waves of panic and resignation, for I realised that if they wanted to rob or kidnap us, they could have done so already."  Better Than Fiction ("Off the Beaten Track in Malawi" by Marina Lewycka)
   To me, this is what good travel stories sound like
2. "Our knowledge of God and our theological reflections are unavoidably finite, derivative and under development. Much of the historical commentary on cognitive limits in theology has been guided by reflections on Exodus 33:17-23." (A Little Book for New Theologians, by Kelly M. Kapic
   This is pretty dense reading, and it's taken me three weeks to read 81 pages of this 121-page book

I've got a couple of other books going as well, but I'm too lazy to go get them.

The Queen's Meme

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The Better Late Than Never Meme

1. Are you always on time or just a tad late?

I try to be on time or a little early. I no longer wig completely out if I'm late, though. Life is too short; I just learn to factor things in to avoid it in the future.

2. Is there someone in your life that irritates you regularly about not being on time?

I have a couple of friends who seem to have a different sense of time than me. If they're good enough friends, I will adjust myself. If I don't know someone who runs late, though, I do tend to get crabby.

3. Can you think of a time when you were late for something and it was REALLY a big deal?

No, see, that's why I don't stress out anymore. No one has ever died because I was late for something.

4. Do prompt perky people irritate you? (oh, that was a Freudian blog slip)

Nope. I appreciate prompt perky people, because there are so many people who are None of the Above.

5. If you were on your way to work and had five minutes to get there, would you stop in the road to rescue a crossing turtle?

There's no way I could get to work in five minutes anyway, so ... sure.

6. Have you ever had to actually punch a time clock?

Yup. PsychoBoss made us do that for the final 3 or 4 years I was there. Crazy bitch. I think I had to do that at some of my temp jobs, too.

7. What is your standard "excuse" when you are tardy?

I just usually apologize and move ahead.

Should Be Reading

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Tuesday Teaser

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author, too....

"Hello," I said, waving. "I hope you catch a hundred delicious fish."
"I don't think you need to worry about that," said Mr. Sinclair. "I've never seen a thin seal."

The Flight of Gemma Hardy (Margot Livesey), p. 220
[yes, I cheated a little; technically this is four sentences]
I'm about 100 pages past this in the book, fwiw

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

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1. What was your biggest fear as a child?

Being spoken to by strangers, and having to speak back to them.
And almost everything else; I was a pretty fearful child.

2. Who taught you to cook?

This is a toss-up: either my mother taught me to cook, or my mother taught me how not to cook. She did teach me the way around a kitchen, but she wasn't a very profound cook, nor did she enjoy it at all.

3. Do you have a lot of books in your home?

Yeah, a few dozen hundred thousand. Not as many as some people, but more than several of my friends/acquaintances. Less than I "have" at work, though, which is definitely my goal.

4. Do you like carrot cake? If you like that cake, what kind of frosting do you like best?

I can't stand carrot cake; I would scrape the frosting off and eat it, but not in public. In public, I usually just claim that I'm full.

5. What's did the last funny t-shirt you read say? (It doesn't have to reflect your personal feeling about the topic, just be funny and family friendly.)

Well, since you said family-friendly, I'll go with the one a friend posted on Facebook this morning.
However, I do find my son's current T kinda funny, even though when he first bought it a couple of years ago my first thought was "You can't wear that to school!!" However, I totally get the feeling behind it in a purely metaphorical sense (even though I'm sure I don't quite get the Pokémon backstory).

The Queen's Meme

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The Meme Revival Meme

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?

I'm using one of the Suave shower gels that involves something flowery and coconut. Beast is using Manly stuff from Nivea.

2. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?

I believe they are dirty. I think it's about half full. And that reminds me, I have clothes in the washer downstairs; they've been done about 45 minutes. Oops.

3. What is on top of your refrigerator?

Dry erase pens in a plastic cup and a box that used to hold a bottle of Dom Perignon. Possibly some dust, too.

4. How many plants are in your home?

Uhm, four living ones. Lots more outside.

5. Is your closet organized?

Not particularly. I mean, most everything is hanging up, but there's a lot of tidying that could happen.

6. Do you have iced tea made in pitcher right now?

Noooo.... I usually don't.

7. What color is your toothbrush?

Blue? Maybe?

The Queen's Meme

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The All Over The Place Meme

1. Pretend you are making a passion quilt. What would be on the center square?

OK, so it pretty much has to be a book, innit? Nice that they're easy and rectilinear....

2. One of those traffic cameras catches you running a red light and you get a ticket in the mail. What else did the camera catch inside your vehicle that you might not want everyone to see?

Me filing my nails or at least biting them? Talking back to the book on CD.

3. When is the last time you had to cancel plans?

Seems like almost everything I've planned has been cancelled for the past several months. I can't even remember what was the most recent. The biggest, for me overall, was the couple of days Elizabeth & Wayne & Justin were supposed to stay here last month which blew up in the biggest possible way.

4. What is your favorite magazine?

Entertainment Weekly.

5. What is the riskiest thing you have ever done?

Staying. Don't know yet how it's all going to play out.

6. Have you ever worked in an office with someone who drove you crazy? What did they do and how did you handle it?

Uhm, yeah. Have you read my blog, like ev-ah?

7. What is the weirdest or most unusual thing you've ever done in an elevator?

Nothing very interesting, that I can think of right now.

The Queen's Meme

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Procrastination
(The art of putting things off. I call it an "art" because it rears its ugly head in my life on a daily basis. Did you notice that I am writing this meme at 7:50 PM??? I rest my case)

1. Have you ever procrastinated about something that had life or death consequences?

Losing weight and eating better probably qualify for that. But short-term procrastination...I can't think of anything.

2. What is the biggest area of procrastination in your life?

Household chores.

3. If you are not a procrastinator, can you give advice to the rest of us who are?

Hah!

4. Can you think of a time when you wish you had procrastinated and NEVER done what you were waiting so long to do?

There've been some work projects like this.

5. What are you procrastinating about right now?

Household chores. Of course.

6. Is it really ever too late to turn back now?

Yes.

7. What is the cure for your wicked lazy ways?

Death.

The Queen's Meme

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7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

1. I don't care a lot about fashion, or makeup.

2. I don't care enough about my diet.

3. I don't care any about arguing about politics or religion.

4. I don't care if you say rude things about people I don't really like much.

5. I don't care when my chore list is interrupted.

6. I don't care that sometimes I stand around talking when I should be working.

7. I don't care that only about 7 people will read my answers.

Should Be Reading

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Teaser Tuesdays

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"...Life rumbled over everyone like the continuously moving track of a caterpillar tractor, its oblique treads cutting deep into the earth.

It was with these same forever deadened feelings and sense of detachment that Pavel went off to war in August '41 as a junior lieutenant from the reserves."

"Adlig Schwenkitten" in Apricot Jam and Other Stories, by Aleksander Solzenhitsyn

I feel, reading this book, as if I should have in my other hand a book of Kafka (or Camus) to refer back and forth between them; the stories are dismally surreal.

The Queen's Meme

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The After St. Patty's Day Meme (aka The Green Meme)

1. How many green things are within your reach?

I see a book cover, an empty box of allergy medicine, and a box of (miniature) cow tipping paraphernalia. There's another book that's got sort of a mint-colored frame around the edge of the cover. Oh, and two blankets and a tassel that has come off one of those blankets.

2. Have you ever been green with envy?

Pretty regularly...though I haven't been paying a lot of attention to what I should be envying lately. Tonight, I'm envying "normal" life.

3. Do you like split pea soup?

I adore split pea soup, with chunks of ham and crunchy croutons.... Great: now I'm hungry.

4. Have you gone green?

I've been at least partially green for decades. We've recycled since we got married, mostly out of cheap-i-tude.

5. Do green Leprechauns scare you?

Not as much as the purple and pink ones.

6. What color was the Wicked Witch of The West's face in the Wizard of Oz?

Well, based on the theme here, I'll go with green. Which I knew anyway, of course.

7. Tell us about your last experience with a frog...or a toad...or a prince. You pick.

The frogs are singing like cuh-RAY-zee this week. In March, which is a solid month earlier than normal. Lots of frogs having babies pretty soon. Maybe they'll come visit our ditch and driveway like they did the first year we lived here.

Should Be Reading

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Tuesday Teasers
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This wasn't particularly random; I had a specific essay in the book and a specific section I wanted to quote:

What we suffered has no place within language: it is somewhere beyond life and history. The ghetto and the sealed cars, the children hurled alive into the flames, the dumb old men with slit throats, the mothers with crazed eyes, the sons powerless to relieve their fathers' agony: a "normal" person cannot take in so much horror.

"To Believe or Not to Believe" in From the Kingdom of Memory : Reminiscences, by Elie Wiesel

If you consider this a "spoiler," then welcome to one of the pre-eminent writers of our era!

The Queen's Meme

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The Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Meme

1. Breakfast literally means "breaking the fast" of the night. What is your favorite cereal?

Froot Loops. Which I never eat at breakfast time, only as a snack or for dinner.

2. Brunch is typically eaten between breakfast and lunch. When is the last time you brunched?

Wow, it has been quite awhile. I can't remember.

3. In the castle we call it luncheon. The prisoners downstairs in the dungeon call it horrible lunch. Do you eat lunch at the same time everyday? What is your favorite sandwich?

No, I eat when I get time off the schedule at work, or before I get to work on the days I start work at mid-day.

4. What is the difference between dinner and supper?

Dinner is fancier.

5. What time do you generally "take tea" in your abode?

I'm the only one who drinks tea so tea time is whenever I feel like tea; but when my English rellies are here, it's about 4:30, summer or winter.

6. A "cuisine" is typically influenced by and named after geographical regions and cultures. Pretend your blog is a country. What is the name of your cuisine?

Sweet, of course.

7. This is a good food display from the National Institute of Health and Human Services. What is the one healthy food item below that is lacking in your diet?

I definitely need more veggies. But I'll ahve some of that bread in the middle first.

The Queen's Meme

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The Perfect Totient* Meme
In honor of our blog post number #111! The Perfect Totient Meme aka the You-make-me-feel-like-a-natural-number meme. I will demonstrate my spectacular mathematical mind. Be amazed.

1. (1) Name one thing you can't live without.

Air. And there's a LOT of it blowing around out there tonight.

2. (1+1=2) Name 2 things you'd rather not do this week.

Say goodbye again to Sparky, and have any further interactions at all with my boss. Neither of these is fated to go my way, however.

3. (1+1+1=3) Tell me 3 reasons you need a vacation.

Beast's back, work, and winter weather.

4. (11) It is the 11th hour of your life and you have one hour left on Earth. What do you do?

If it's the 11th hour of my life, that means each hour is actually worth about four years, so I've got some time to get things tidied up. Right?

5. (1x1x1=1) Name one thing you'd rather do alone than in a crowd.

Just about anything at all is better alone than in a crowd, imo.

6. (111) One hundred (and) eleven is the natural number following 110 and preceding 112 AND a perfect totient number. A perfect totient number is an integer that is equal to the sum of its iterated totients. What makes the totients so iterated?

I don't have a fucking clue what this question is talking about. Actually, that's not fair: I understand everything up to "...iterated totients."

7. (NINE 11) What is your emergency?

Having called 911 twice for Beast and the cops (non-emergency) from work once in the past two weeks, I'm kind of hoping I don't have to talk to any people in uniforms with vehicles that use flashing lights in a VERY long time.

________
* So I learned a new word here: totient. Not that I have a bloody clue what it actually means, but at least I know it's not a typo.

The Queen's Meme

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It's the Oh Baby Meme!
Answer these questions about babies. Don't whine. I'm all out of pacifiers.

1. When your kids were babies, did you ever use cloth diapers?

Yep, for 6-8 months. Then it just got too complicated with the daycare and other things, so we went over to plastic.

2. Are you guilty of spoiling your children or grandchildren?

Oh, hell no! My child isn't spoiled (at least I don't think so, and he'd probably agree!). But when/if there are grandchildren: I'm all about spoiling them.

3. If you could give one piece of advice to your own children about how to raise their children, what would you say?

"Trust your gut."

4. Do you believe in spanking?

Yes. I've only done it a couple of times, but they were doozies.

5. Babies need pacifiers! They cry and carry on sometimes. Can you think of one adult person in your life who could also use a pacifier?

Most people have them, though they are called "food," "drink," or any other of the many addictions we have created to soothe our souls. My boss needs an actual adult-sized pacifier, if only to keep her from sticking her foot in her mouth with her staff over and over.

6. Have you ever been present for the birth of a child other than your own pregnancy and delivery?

Nope. I wasn't even really present for Sparky's birth, not really. I was pretty out-of-it. I'm not sure I would handle being present for someone else's, either.

7. Why are boy things blue and girl things pink?

Because people are fuckin' stupid! I hate pink, I hate this whole stupid color-scheme thing, and the only reason I can think of to continue it is to differentiate genders between one bald baby and the next. [True confession: I had a pink bedroom when I was very young, but by age 7 or so, I was SO over pink.]