Friday MEMEMEMEME

I saw this on Barb Cooper's always-funny blog, and since I was looking for a Friday light-hearted post topic (also since I scared you all away with "who would you slug?"), I thought I'd do this one while I think about how to organize a course at work.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, Bettye Sue and Doris Ann, my dad's sisters.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Wow, this is a milestone. I don't remember. I think it had something to do with Beccano being sad about something. But, hey, my life is good! I am not weepy!

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
When I slow down, I do. It has gotten rather funky at fast pace since I have had the kids.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Liver cheese, however you spell that in German.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Two so far.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I do think so. I'd like a me-ish friend. That is why I have Lee.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
(Rolls eyes.) (Barb said that but I am keeping it)

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
Yes but I wouldn't recognize them if I saw them.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Only if pushed.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Special K with strawberry things. I don't eat it much, though. I eat too much.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
I rarely wear shoes that tie, but no, I don't.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yeah, people keep saying that. Physically, though, well, my shoulder hurts.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Vanilla with chocolate and caramel in it.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE
Their voice.

15. RED OR PINK?
Red.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I really hate it that I cry when I get angry. Sometimes I think of the best things to say and then I can't get them out because I'm all wracked with sobs and stuff. (OK, this is weird, but this is what Barb wrote, and it actually IS way up there among my least favorite features of myself, one I have worked hard to change, but what happened when I got pissed off at that clueless lady for firing me? I cried.)

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Mom, then there are a lot of close seconds (Jody, friends from the DNO, Roberta Johnson, my "coven" in Illinois...)

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
Gosh, no. I like reading this stuff in blogs.

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Wine colored Mary Jane Dansko clogs with cute flower cut-outs.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Masala roasted chickpeas (sorta like wasabi peas)

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The sound of people typing in neighboring cubicles.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
violet

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Roses, violets, Thanksgiving dinner cooking, Zest soap

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Sigh, a telemarketer

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I stole it, but Barb seems very genuine and nice.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Football, baseball

27. Hair Color?
Dark brown, currently medium brown

28. EYE COLOR?
Reddish brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No, they don't make my vision good enough to suit me

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
butternut squash, yellow squash, beets, cauliflower, mangos

31. MYSTERY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings. I don't need help to get sad or scared.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Under the Tuscan Sun (happy ending)

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
peach with floral (Tommy Bahama Hawaiian shirt to go with my new Hawaiian Lei socks)

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
winter

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
hugs

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Bread pudding

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Lee; otherwise no one.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND.
The Silent Blog Readers.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
The Knitting Way, a book on highly sensitive people at work, William Shatner's biography

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
It's the desk.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Pre-season football. Didn't want to watch those guys drop batons.

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
Music by Enya. Silence other than birds and nature sounds.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
I love the Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Switzerland

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I knit well. I also know a good person or a non-good one as soon as I meet them.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Sarasota, Florida

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
It would be fun to read any others.

7 Deadly Sins?

Everything's just fine. I enjoyed two days of training, fulfilling my obligation to the nice place I was before going to ALE. I really liked that job a lot--I met some real interesting people there, but I don't know if I could have made it on just 2-4 work days a week. It's pretty tiring to talk for a whole day, especially if you are introverted, but I still liked it. And yesterday, as I was leaving, I saw a fellow bobbing around and aiming his phone in front of himself. It looked odd, so I looked his way as I walked past. He then asked me, "Hey, is this normal?" I looked in front of a wall (which had blocked my view coming out of the building) to see a young armadillo strolling around the building grounds. I guess the guy hadn't lived here long, so he didn't know if you see a lot of them. I told him you didn't usually see them during the day like that, so it is unusual. I tried to get a couple of pictures, but will have to see how they look once I get them off the phone...now it's uploaded and you can see it, too! Anyway, that and Chinese food for dinner were the highlights of my last couple of days! Guess I better fill some space somehow, so...

I saw this meme on someone's blog and decided to fill it in. I realize I am pretty boring in the deadly sin department, after reading over my answers. Since things aren't all that fascinating at home, and Friday's Feast is still MIA, I guess I'll be having to resort to memes for a bit.

WRATH

1. Who did you last get angry with?

- Executive Director and Board chair of a nonprofit organization. Nothing I can do to remedy the situation.

2. What is your weapon of choice?

- Sarcasm. I have worked for many years to use it less and less.

3. Would you hit a member of the opposite sex?

- I do not plan to.

4. How about of the same sex?

-I do not plan to.

5. Who was the last person who got really angry at you?

- Tuba Boy over some teen thing, but it was so long ago I forget what it was.

6. What is your pet peeve?

-Just one?? Friends who dump you and talk about you behind your back.

7. Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily?

-I find it hard to erase hurt feelings. But I do forgive.

SLOTH

1. What is one thing you’re supposed to do daily that you don’t?

- Clean the house

2. What is the latest you’ve ever woken up?

- Noon as a teen.

4. What is the last lame excuse you made?

- I left an event saying I needed to check on Beccano, when really I just wanted to leave a crowd.

5. Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through?

- No.

6. When was the last time you got in a good workout?

- Last Monday when I walked all over the campus at work to get my name tag and such.

7. How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock today?

- None. I get up when I am awakened.

GLUTTONY

1. What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice?

- Nonfat sugar-free caramel misto.

2. Meat eaters: white meat or dark meat??

-White

3. What is the greatest amount of alcohol you’ve had in one sitting/outing/event?

- At a choir Christmas party during the really, really bad year. I am not sure if it was 2002 or 2003. I should not have driven home after all that high-quality tequila.

4. Have you ever used a professional diet company?

- Nope. Eat less, and exercise more.

5. Do you have an issue with your weight?

- Not in the past few years. I just diet again for a while when it starts to creep up.

6. Do you prefer sweets, salty foods, or spicy?

- Spicy then salty.

7. Have you ever looked at a small house pet or child and thought “lunch”?

- I guess not--that idea has never occurred to me.

LUST

1. How many people have you seen naked (not counting movies/family)?

- No clue, around 50 I guess. I don't do public showers and have not been to a nude beach, so all I have are people I have had sex with and people who changed clothing in front of me.

2. How many people have seen YOU naked (not counting physicians/family)?

- See above.

3. Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a member of the opposite gender during a normal conversation?

Yup. Both. Sometimes women's jiggling can distract anyone.

4. Have you ever kissed two people in one night?

- Yep.

5. What is your favorite body part on a person of your gender of choice?

- A beautifully tapered back.

6. Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute?

-Not that I am aware of. I am not sure if I have ever met one.

GREED

1. How many credit cards do you own?

- 3

2. What’s your guilty pleasure store?

- Yarn shop.

3. Would you rather be rich, or famous?

- Rich - because then I could just sit and knit or read all day.

4. Would you accept a boring job if it meant you would make megabucks?

-Maybe, if I could knit or write when no one is looking.

5. Have you ever stolen anything?

- Nothing other than accidentally forgetting to pay for something small at the grocery store and finding it sitting in the cart when I got to the car.

6. How many MP3s are on your hard drive?

- Hundreds, not sure how many because I am not in the room with it.

PRIDE

1. What’s one thing you have done that you’re most proud of?

- A website I am no longer doing.

2. What one thing have you done that your parents are most proud of?

- I would hope the kids, but bet it's the advanced degree.

3. What things would you like to accomplish in your life?

-I'd like to get a knitting book published, I'd like to get work helping others again, and I'd like to be a good life partner

4. Do you get annoyed by coming in second place?

- Especially when it comes to jobs.

5. Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors?

- Yes (knitting).

6. Have you ever cheated on something to get a higher score?

- No need to.

7. What did you do today that you’re proud of?

- Sent supportive email to a few friends.

ENVY

1. What item (or person) of your friends would you most want to have for your own?

- I'd like some of Diane at the yarn shop's fancy, expensive yarn.

2. Who would you want to go on “Trading Spaces” with?

-Stephanie Kendall, a lady at church who is REALLY good with decor, and no relation to me at all.

3. If you could be anyone else in the world, who would you be?

- I'll stay me.

4. Have you ever been cheated on?

- If so, they have been very discreet.

5. Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own?

- I wish I had a more athletic build.

6. What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself?

- Thick skin--the ability to shrug off insults and unkindnesses.

Birthday Month Meme Amusement

I have mentioned before that I read the blog by Barb Cooper, currently a local humor writer, soon to be a distant humor writer. She is always wanting to be tagged for memes, and answering ones she isn't tagged for, anyway. In her honor, I am doing this one that she was tagged for but I was not (cause she doesn't tag me in this semi-hidden blog, anyway). I just laughed and laughed at the whole concept, so will play along.

She said in her blog: "Okay, this meme asks you to take the attributes supposedly associated with your birth month (February) and talk about how they apply to you. Pay no attention to the fact that they seem to have been randomly generated by some astrological parody engine or a house elf or something."

She's right, they are pretty funny and random, but some hit the nail on the head for this Child of March (depicted by the lovely aquamarine crystal above). Here are my reactions...

MARCH:

Attractive personality. Not sure what I attract other than inappropriate partners (before the autumn of 2006, of course) but sure, yeah, I must attract something.

Sexy. As long as Lee thinks I am, I will buy into that. I do not really care if anyone else thinks so.

Affectionate. In my own not-too-touchy-feely way, sure. I am more mentally affectionate.

Shy and reserved. Well, as I will tell anyone, I am a well-socialized introvert. I actually AM shy, I just may not appear to be due to my stellar acting abilities in public situations.

Secretive. Absolutely positootely. And I will not tell you why or in what way.

Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. And that has been my undoing more than once. But, I like being that way, really.

Loves peace and serenity. I don't call myself a pacifist for nothing. And there's a reason I flee conflict. Love that peace and serenity and would like it as much as possible all day all the time.

Sensitive to others. Very. Usually a good thing. Especially when I can spot a predator, mean person, or person liable to harm others in a flash. Not good when I see that someone has chosen such a person as a partner. Hard to keep my mouth shut.

Loves to serve others. Fraid so. All those years at the Dysfunctional Nonprofit Organization speak to that.

Easily angered. It takes a while to build up, actually, but once the trigger hits, I guess.

Trustworthy. Trust me; I am. Or ask my friends and family if you refuse to trust my self-reported trustworthiness.

Appreciative and returns kindness. I am always surprised when anyone is kind to me, and I am not sure why that is. I really enjoy being kind to others.

Observant and assesses others. Very much so. I am perhaps too observant at times. My assessments are usually accurate and I sure get pissed off at myself if they are not.

Revengeful. Maybe when younger. I think I have drummed that out of myself.

Loves to dream and fantasize. I'm a Pisces; what do you expect? Yeah. Much of my life I have been more in the fantasy world than the real one. Lately it's been more real.

Loves traveling. Absolutely, though I also love home. I like to see different things and see how other people live.

Loves attention. Look at meeee, look at meeeee. This is another thing I have worked on lessening.

Hasty decisions in choosing partners. BWA HA HA. This is the one that had me literally ROFL-ing. Yep, I have always been hasty. That's why I tried to ignore all the signals between Lee and me and go as slowly as I could. Still, once we were together, we were hastily partners. He was born in March, too, ya know.

Loves home decors. Or office cubicle decor.

Musically talented. I do like to sing, and read music fairly well. Lots of people are more talented, but I enjoy what I have.

Loves special things. I didn't know what this meant, but if it means I have sentimental attachments to objects, I do. Thus, the clutter of "special items" in the house.

Moody. Overly, perhaps.


By the way, Barb posted all the months' supposed attributes if you want to wax eloquent about yourself and your month (scroll past the discussion of a book about sex ed for young girls, or not, as you wish).

Christmas Meme Thing

I don't have any brilliant Christmas Eve posting ideas, so here's a meme I found on Becca's blog, which she found on someone else's. At least it will be fun. And if I already posted this photo of the Christmas Tree,well, here it is again.


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? We have recycled the same gift bags for many, many years. I do like to wrap, but especially this year, being frugal is good. And saving trees and all that. I hope to sew more cloth bags at some point.

2. Real or artificial tree? Real this year after a long time with the same artificial tree, which stayed up for a few years after its box broke. We would decorate it sporadically with the theme of the season and hope it looked quirky and interesting. The tree died last year (broke). This year's tree is really nice and smells good. Yes, we will have to clean up some needles, but at least Buddy only peed on it that one time.

3. When do you put up the tree? At some point after Thanksgiving when there is time. I wanted to get a good tree, so we didn't wait too long.

4. When do you take the tree down? Right after New Year's. I like the happy decorations.

5. Do you like eggnog? Very much, especially the eggnog my friend Austin used to bring to church parties. It was decadent. I miss that. He has a new family now and is way too busy for those community things.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? The china horses my grandfather gave me when I was very little. I still have the ones that haven't broken.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No, we aren't (gasp) Christian. We celebrate the pre-Christian aspects of the season and all the love.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My dad. He doesn't need anything and there's nothing I can really knit for him.

9. Worst Christmas present ever received? Well, thankfully no one has ever given me a nose hair trimmer, so I am one up on poor Jeff. I must have blanked the worst gift out of my mind. I try to concentrate on "it's the thought that counts."

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I haven't done any the past few years, since times have been so hard and things keep changing. I hate to send out "lost yet another job, and have another new boyfriend." Goal: to be more settled next year, and able to send nice bland happy stuff, in whatever medium.

11. Favorite Christmas movie? I don't like them.

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I start knitting in September or October. Buying in late November. I love me them Internets.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I can't remember doing it. I guess if I got something that I knew someone else would truly love, I'd do it, but I'd tell them.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fruit cake. Had none this year.

15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored. Lots of purple. I like all the new shapes.

16. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Come All Ye Faithful. Yeah, I know, not my tradition but I liked that since I was a kid.

17. Travel or stay home? Stay home. I have always been home since I had the kids. Though they left last year (ick ick ick).

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course.

19. Star on the top of the tree? Yes, a really nice plain one I got at Target last year. For many years I actually used to have an angel that my former Lutheran theologian office mate Steve gave me. We took off her halo and called her the Yule Goddess.

20. Open presents on Eve or Morning? My family of origin had Swedish members, so growing up we opened family gifts on Christmas Eve and Santa came on Christmas. Now Christmas eve seems boring. Since I was an adult, we opened on Christmas morning, once all the adults have their COFFEE.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Losing my job. I had things I really wanted to get the kids and Lee that I can't. I am also sad that Jeff has to be in Florida and can't join us.

22. Best thing about this time of the year? Watching the kids get more into giving as they grow older. It is so nice to have them ask me what so and so would want, and to help them get things for others. I thought they'd never grow out of the "MEMEMEMEME" phase. Of course, that did not happen to Tuba Boy until this year, and he is almost 17!

Holiday Spirit

Lee bought me this little tree to put in the media room. It matches the red theme (and my coworker pointed out, makes it look like a bordello, but never mind her--she thinks my red fixation is impressive, actually). Since that's the room we are in the most, I thought it could use more than a couple of lights and some scary nutcracker ornaments. Now I feel a bit more cheery, though we will take down the topper--it's too big and falls off.

I am doing as much as I can to calm myself and bring cheer. I was losing the battle for a few days, I am afraid. Not getting that poorly compensated job put my anxiety into overdrive and I began having BAD symptoms--like chest pains bad enough to keep me from doing anything, and fairly severe dizziness/head tightness. The symptoms seem to have calmed down since yesterday afternoon, when I felt like, hey, at least I got my knitting goal done and I did some decorating. I even cooked soup. I just need to get through the next few weeks--I am sure something good will come up, or I will enjoy teaching knitting.

So, to add cheer, I took a meme off of a nice blog I read by Jo. She took it from someone else. I figure this will make me think about "other stuff" in the background while I do technical writing in the foreground.

50 Endless Answers to Questions

1. Elaborate on your default icon: It's a photo of me with my light-colored hair, where I look very, very happy. I was all in love and stuff. Still in love, of course.

2. What's your current relationship status? Engaged (tee hee hee) to the kind and wonderful Lee. Planning on a wedding around Halloween of next year. But you knew that.

3. Ever have a near-death experience? I was a bit concerned when I rolled my car after hitting a patch of black ice on a country road in Illinois. But, I lived. I am not really worried about it.

4. Name an obvious quality you have: I am not tall.

5. What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now? Sigh, "Let It Snow."

6. Any celeb you would marry? Pierce Brosnan. Nice. Handsome. Not available. Nor am I.

7. Who will cut and paste this first? Lee or Saranda.

8. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity? Sally Field. That's about it.

9. Do you wear a watch? Yeah, I have one pretty nice one and others that are for fun, but the fun ones are all running low on batteries. I like them as jewelry.

10. Are you pierced? Once in each ear.

11. Do you have any tattoos? Nope. I like looking at them, but don't need one for myself.

12. Do you like pain? Some would think I do given previous relationship choices. I do have a really high tolerance for pain. But I'd prefer to avoid it.

13. Do you like to shop? Yeah, but not too often.

14. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? Yarn for kids' Christmas hats.

15. What was the last thing you paid for with your credit card? Groceries. Whee.

16. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? Tuba Boy.

17. What is on your desktop background? On work computer, a photo of the Cliffs of Mohor in Ireland taken by Beccano. On the desktop at home, Scrunchy's giant head. On the new laptop some photo that came with the computer, because I have not decided what I want to make for that one.

18. What is the background on your cell phone? Autumn leaves that are red. Came with the phone but I liked it, and the phone is red. My theme color.

19. Do you like redheads? Oh yes oh yes oh yes. That's why I am one now. Best is the redhead I made for myself, Beccano.

20. Do you know any twins? My grandmother was one. And my kids have some twin friends.

21. Do you have any weird relatives? Now really, who doesn't?? There is a LOT of "eccentricity" in my family, especially on the maternal side.

22. What was the last movie you watched? In the theater, Pan's Labyrinth, at home, sigh, Shaolin Soccer. It cracked us up.

23. What was the last book you read? Other than knitting books...I am currently reading that book about Baklavah that I borrowed from Saranda. It is good, even if the exact title has escaped me.

24. Is there such a thing as love at first sight, or is it more likely to be lust at first sight? There can be some kind of recognition, like you knew someone before, or something, but to truly love them you need to get to know them. I recognized Lee pretty quickly.

25. What's your favorite book? The Robin Wood Tarot book. Well, it's the book I have read the most times.

26. When was the last time you visited the street where you first lived? Well, not since I was tiny. I visited the street where I grew up three years ago when Jeff and I stopped in Gainesville on the way to visit his mother. It smelled good. That is why I want to go home.

27. When was the last time you googled your own name? A couple of months ago--wanted to check to see if something was still on the web. It isn't.

28. What was / is your favorite subject at school? Chorus. Then Spanish. Then English.

29. What was / is your least favorite subject at school? PE and I HATED it. Made me feel so incompetent.

30. Do you like having your photograph taken? It's OK. I look nice in some pictures. In others, I like more accurate, ha ha.


31. What time were you born? 6:30 am Eastern time. Virgo rising.

32. Ever seriously questioned your sanity? I am weird, but I am fine.

33. How many phone numbers do you have remembered and can say off the top of your head? 8

34. Can you Limbo? No. Scoliosis doesn't help.

35.Have you ever killed your own dinner? Fish.

36. How long have you been living at your current residence? 10.5 years. Have been in this town 11 years at the end of the month.

37. What phobias do you have? Guns, motorcycles, nuclear holocaust, being forced to live in a religious society, roaches. Not too good with heights.

38. What's your ideal breakfast? Coffee, cheese grits, egg over easy. Usually just have coffee.

39. Where are you right now? Work. My last Monday.

40. Why do you blog? I like to write and it helps me clarify things.

41. What would you call your autobiography? What's around the Corner? Suna Wants to Know.

42. What's the longest time you've stayed out of the country / where? One Ireland trip was about two weeks.

43. Do you use ICQ, AIM, etc..? Trillion.

44. Do you have nightmares frequently? No, just dreams with ups and downs. Occasional nightmares, but not too many.

45. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Yes - I am a good listener.

46. Which TV character could you be friends with? Meg on Family Guy. She needs a friend.

47. What's on your mouse pad? McNeil Mavericks logo on work computer. Better remember to take that home. None on others.

48. What is your ring tone? Depends on who's calling. Lee is "Wish You Were Here." Tuba Boy is "Sweet Child of Mine." Beccano is Darth Vader's Star Wars theme. Jeff is "Brown Eyed Girl." Everybody else is "Baba O'Reilly" (teenaged wasteland).

49. What did you watch on TV last night? The Colts p0wning on the poor Ravens. Mostly I knitted and talked to Beccano.

50. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy. I prefer comedies.

Some Interesting Questions: Tag Yourself

Though I am all memed out, I came across this meme on Barb's very enjoyable blog, and all the questions really got me thinking, so following her lead, I tagged myself for it. You can, too! (Barb assures me she WOULD have tagged me, but she knew I am trying to not link this blog all over creation, and it would not fit the knitting blog. Barb lives in my metro area. Have I met her? Of course not.)

Anyway, if you find any or all of these interesting, you are welcome to post your own answers and let me know. I would really be interested!

1. What were you afraid of as a child?
As a tiny child, it was large construction tractors. My first nightmares were that they were coming down the street to get me and I could not move. This was before age 3, since I dreamed this in Sarasota. Later my big fear was roaches. Those giant black "palmetto bug" ones in Florida. I'd dream there was a sea of them under my bed. This dream had a basis in reality, since we sure did have a roach problem. The time I woke up to find one on me in bed traumatized me for years. The time I was awakened by scratching sounds, only to find roaches munching away on my Vacation Bible School rice mosaic was a rough one, too. Explains some of my issues with organized religion, too.

2. When have you been most courageous?
During childbirth, when I would not stop trying for a natural birth, no matter how many hours of back labor, demeaning interventions or pushing against a bone (see item 4) I went through, until finally I realized Beccano was not going out the correct exit. I did that all with no pain medication. With pitocin. I was very brave and strong.

3. What sound most disturbs you?
Easy: that horrid high-pitched "eeeeeee" that some small girls make constantly. Like the one who lives behind us and screeches as if she is about to expire, repeatedly, every time she plays outdoors.

4. What is the greatest amount of physical pain you’ve been in?
a. Childbirth with the second child. First there was 24 hours of back labor (I had a huge bruise from counter pressure). Then when I was pushing it felt like I was pushing a bone against a bone. Turns out I was. Beccano's giganto head was pushing against my deformed tailbone. Oh, if I had known about THAT before the VBAC decision. b. The time a not-very-well trained osteopath attempted to take a sample out of my cervix, then cauterized it. With no anesthesia. I could hardly drive the two blocks home. I was still a teen, in college. After I got home, all weepy, my dad drove over and read the doctor the riot act for hurting me so much. I think that is probably the moment at which I felt the proud of my dad, ever.

5. What’s your biggest fear for your children? (or children in general if you don’t have some of your own.)
That they will end up in a world dominated by religious extremists of some sort, and persecuted for their beliefs, or forced to conform in order to live. I fear more for their wives and daughters. None of the current extremist world domination candidates believe in anything close to equality for women. Or they have to live through famine and disease as a result of Western civilization's poor management of the only planet they have to live in.

6. What is the hardest physical challenge you’ve achieved?
The labor described in #2. Wow, I sound fixated on that experience. Really, I am not. I no longer think of it often (thankfully, a lot less now that I am out of the "new mother support" business), and I bear no grudge against the charming Beccano, whose inability to sleep through the night until he was almost three led to the second hardest physical challenge: parenting a baby and toddler through severe sleep deprivation.

7. Which do you prefer: Mountains or oceans/big water?
To be honest, living by a mountain (or hill) lake is my dream. I need the lake the most. I'm a Pisces and all.

8. What is the one thing you do for yourself that helps you keep everything together?
Hmmm, who can guess that one? OK, I'll tell you. Knitting! Surprise! I don't need to meditate as much any more because I can get into that state while knitting. And I do need that. I have to turn off that internal chatter and the bombardment of outside forces.

9. Ever had a close relative or friend with cancer?
Mom. Roberta. Etc.

10. What are the things your friends count on you for?
I will listen to them and not judge them. I will be loyal to them, perhaps to a fault. I will defend them if anyone puts them down or treats them unfairly.

11. What is the best part of being in a committed relationship?
Finding someone who truly understands you and loves you anyway. It seems like a miracle to me and I am always in awe of that.

12. What is the hardest part of being in a committed relationship?
Trust. So far every committed relationship I have been in has ended in a betrayal. The people I thought loved me most informed me that, no, that was a mistake--they never did--it was just the convenient thing to do, to be with me. And the way the story is so similar each time had me spooked (explaining why I got the roommate--not a committed relationship, no expectations beyond friendship). Both Lee and I believe we have changed out patterns this time. It's been almost a year since we agreed to try--and it is still good!

13. Summer or Winter? Why?
Winter. I am not made for heat or bright light. I even prefer Illinois winter to summers. I like fall best. This is a great time of year for me.

14. Have you ever been in a school-yard fight?
Why, yes, I have. In 8th grade, when I was still "the new kid" and did not fit in at all with any of the cliques. The girls who were nicest to me were the black girls (because I knew all their music), but apparently a couple didn't like her friends talking so much to pale ole Suna, and in PE class (bane of my existence--I had already gotten a concussion from a golf club there), the biggest one informed me she was going to beat me up. I said I didn't really want to do that. But, she came at me. While my father was a champion Golden Gloves amateur boxer, I had never really hit anyone in my life other than my little brother (hee hee). So, to get away from her I went to pull her hair, rather than hit her. Well, turns out her gigantic Afro was a wig. Off it came, revealing some not-very-well-styled nappiness, which made all the other black girls laugh their butts off. Then the rest of us did, too. End of fight. While most of those girls went to another high school, a couple remained friends until I graduated.

15. Why blog?
(I loved Barb's answer to this, by the way.) I have a couple of reasons. One, I am a writer and I like to write. I get really tired of technical documentation, and since I lost my job that let me email all day, I missed writing. So I started blogging. Another reason is I like to keep track of things. When did this happen? What was I thinking about at this time on another year? I kept a diary for years, just noting what I was doing on most days. I'm not overly concerned about the entertainment value of this blog, though I do try to put more useful stuff on the knitting blog.

I do like sharing stuff about my life with my friends, and reading their stuff, too--anecdotes, kid stories, important milestones. I like blogging as an exchange--a way to keep in touch with friends so you don't have to phone or email them each and say the same thing--probably blogging for me serves the purpose that personal letters did for my parents' and grandparents' generations. And a way to keep track of them. Of course, that would mean the friends would have to post to their blogs, too. Ahem. You know who you are. I truly love reading the words of people I care about, and responding to them. And I love my responses. Thank you to the commenters!

16. Did you learn about sex, and/or sex safety from your parents?
Not from the male parent. I think he preferred to think we fell out of the sky. He managed to pretend to not notice he had a gay child and stepchild until each were well in their 40s. But, my mother was quite cool. She did give me a book, but also talked about things--like mistakes she made when young and the consequences (one being my sister, ha ha, just kidding). Some stuff about sex safety perhaps I'd have preferred to not know--like how contraceptive failure resulted in ME. But, hey, it sure drove that "backup plan" concept home!

17. How do you plan to talk to your kids about sex and/or sex safety?
My children are 14 and 16, so that has already happened, and continues. We talk about things whenever concepts come up in life, or something happens on TV. They each got some good books to read, and did ask a few questions. And one of them took the Our Whole Lives sexuality curriculum the UU church provides. The other will eventually I guess. it sure is a GOOD curriculum. And there's an adult version, too, which I think is a great idea for most people who are not me (came at an unfortunate juncture in my life). I've had a number of really interesting conversations with my kids and their friends, too (mostly while they are confined to a moving vehicle). They seem really uninterested in contracting a disease or becoming a parent, and quite aware of how to avoid those things, without being all "saving myself for marriage" oriented. Whew.

18. What are you most thankful for this year?
LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

OK, your turn. If you are a prompt li'l blog reader, you will see that I post-dated this. I had so many blog-able things come up today! So I am going to file this one under tomorrow, when I know I will be very busy singing and resting from singing.

Friday's Feast, 8 Things

Appetizer: Which snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?
Junior Mints

Soup: What year did you start using the Internet?
I believe I started participating in Usenet groups in 1986.

Salad: What is your first name in Pig Latin?
Oosay Anyay / Unasay Endallkay

Main Course: Name something you are picky about.
Spelling and grammar

Dessert: Fill in the blanks: I ____ ____ yesterday and I ____ ____ today.
I felt cheerful yesterday and I feel wonderful today. (Not a sentence I come up with often)

Blasted Meme

Lee, who does have a wee bit of a mean streak, got tagged by me for a meme on my knitting blog. He seems to think it is "fair" to tag me on this blog. I would cry foul, except he hardly knows any other bloggers. However, since I already tagged 8 people, I am NOT retagging. So there. I am a scofflaw.

The Rules: Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. My fingernails grow really well. I just had to trim them so I could type better.
2. My dad was born in a house with dirt floors. He was named after the doctor who delivered him, thus is "Prince."
3. I had a pet squirrel when I was a kid. Squirrelly. We shared her with the neighbors. She was a noisy one at night.
4. When I was young, my Ideal Man was a comic book character, Braniac 5. He is green and has blonde hair and is the smartest dude in the whole universe! I set high standards. I now think the Ideal Man for me may differ somewhat from B5, but I am glad I found him.
5. I think I may actually be a mezzo soprano, not an alto. This is messing up my self image and world view.
6. I am in complete and total awe of my children. I can't believe I helped make those people.
7. Other than my family's welfare, the most important thing to me is working towards a peaceful earth.
8. I want to live by a lake.

The people I tagged are listed on the other danged blog.

Random Fun and Good Thoughts

Scrunchy Smiles
Originally uploaded by sunasak

No, the blog is not turning into the "daily photo of Scrunchy" like some of the knitting bloggers do with their precious kitties. I just smile when I see this smiling Scrunchy, and hope you do, too.

I feel much better today, and am spending most of the day sending good thoughts to Lee for an interview, then working hard. But, here's some fun for your day. I wasn't going to do this one, however the kids and Lee thought it was funny, so here are all my names:

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) - Maggie Forester

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) - Caramel Macaroon

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) SKen

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Purple Horse

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) - Ann Sarasota

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - Kensu

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink, put "The") - The Green Cuba Libre

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) - Edward Oscar

9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) - RoseViolet Turtle (LOL)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names) - Canova Prince

All's well, otherwise. I did have a couple of strange experiences yesterday, when two people I met (a woman selling raffle tickets at work who wanted knitting help, and the woman next to me in choir) turned out to be closely connected to the former yarn shop coworker who died not too long ago. These weren't even the first random folks who popped into my life with a connection to her--strange how lives intersect.

The other highlight of the day was finding a really neat bug on the walkway to the parking garage. I was happy this morning to find another one that had died, so I can show it to Beccano. It is a beautiful moth that is completely white, covered with round, black circles. It's legs are a festive black and white. A most striking insect. OK, so I like bugs. Lee and Beccano saw a big tarantula on the road yesterday, too.

3 Things, which Barbara Says Is a Meme

Once again, I mined the depths of Barbara's blog to come up with something to put in that is fun. And again, not sure how they mean "meme" here, but here's what it usually means:

a unit of cultural information transferable from one mind to another

In any case, I like to think about stuff like this.

Three Things I Do Every Day:
-draw a tarot card
-knit something
-drink coffee


Three Things I Wish I Could Do Every Day:
-do something fun with a friend
-cook
-ritual

Three Hopes I Have for Today:
-do something fun with Work Man
-get some good writing done at work
-enjoy Younger Son's band concert

Three Things I Hear:
-keys clicking
-a lady helping a person process their ALE gift card
-Linda Ronstadt on the MP3 player

Three Ways I Have Changed my Life:
-I have learned not to give my heart and soul to any job
-I have stopped looking for happily ever after
-I have really assimilated the fact that everyone has something they can teach me

Three People I Wish I Could See Again:
-Corey
-Nori
-Billy

Three Items I Wish I Owned:
-a yarn store, with someone else to run it
-a house on a quiet lake (no jet skis)
-a really comfortable chair

Three Wishes I Had When I Was Young:
-to own a pony
-to become an AA Fuel Dragster driver
-to be a witch

Three Fears I Have:
-one of my kids having something bad happen to them
-guns
-motorcycles (hoping to cure myself of that one)

Three Things on My Desk:
-MP3 player
-memory stick with funny party pix on it
-fresh coffee from downstairs

Three Thoughts in My Mind:
-deal positively with the job situation however it comes out
-keep enjoying my new friendship however that works out
-what to get the family for Christmas


Comments

Barbara said... how fun - I was wondering what Meme meant - thanks for looking it up. I clearly just copied it from someone else. :) hey, it looks like you got at least one wish come true.Tuesday, November 21, 2006 10:49:00 PM