Friday's Feast

Appetizer: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how polite are you?

Ooh, good question. I'd say about a 7. I am more polite than a lot of people, since I was raised in the south and said ma'm and sir a lot until I got fairly old. And I think people should be treated respectfully. But I am not good with a lot of politeness duties, like thank you notes and not interrupting people. And when someone's personal style really bugs me, I have been known to leave their presence more quickly than would be polite. So, I am pretty good, but not great.

Soup: What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?

I could not tell you exactly, but it was something Beccano, my 14-year-old son, said. He was just a riot last night. At one point I remember Lee and I about to smooch and he said something that made us have to stop and laugh and laugh. And he was making some killer puns at dinner. He is working hard on developing a personal humor style, and I have to say, he is very, very good. He's developing a real way with words, so we all get to laugh a lot when he's around.

Salad: Who is your favorite cartoon character?

So many to choose from. As a child I wanted Mighty Mouse and the Chipmunks to all be my children. As an adult, I guess I will have to choose the Li'l Cheney character on Little Bush. Every time he says "wah wah wah..." I just can't stop laughing. Dang, that is one funny, if eerily accurate, cartoon.

Main Course: Tell about the funniest teacher you ever had.

This one's hard because I am so OLD. And I went to school for a LONG time. I'm sure, though, that my teacher with the sharpest wit was Jerry Morgan, who taught syntax and semantics at the University of Illinois when I was in grad school (you betcha, the Internet is my friend, I found his picture). He was one of the smartest people I ever met, and so quick witted. We would really enjoy coming up with example sentences and analyzing them, because he would insert puns and really sophisticated word play into all the exercises we did. He was a real joy to talk to, and even more fun after many, many beers. Also, the best Big Boggle player on earth. (Big Boggle: best game ever invented--and you should see it played by a dozen or so professional linguists.)

OOOH BONUS: Do you want to see almost every professor I ever studied under in grad school? Even the Great and Powerful Georgia M. Green, the professor with the zingiest margin-of-your-paper comments ever (and best knitter)?? Click here!

Dessert: Complete this sentence: I strongly believe that ______________________.

I strongly believe that if people just followed whatever their tradition's version of the "Golden Rule" is, we would be living in a peaceful, cooperative world with no war, hunger or poverty.