Sorting It Out
Fri., October 21, 12:08 PM
I appropriated this meme from golfwidow because I think I need a new kickstart. Or some kind of control, as my mind seems to be traveling in many directions at once. Writing code – or my version of it – is mental discipline.
- Name someone with the same birthday as you:
Stacy Keach. Jerry Mathers, the “Beave.” It’s not an interesting day, and there are comparatively few in my year. King Constantine of Greece. Um, Horace Clarke, who once played second base for the Yankees. Marvin Hamlisch (I knew there was somebody good). - Where was your first kiss?
You realize you’re asking about nearly fifty years ago? Must have been in Stamford, probably at a party with “our gang.” Who? He wasn’t memorable. - Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
I wouldn’t dare. You should have heard my mother when I wrote my name under the windowsill, where you couldn’t see it! - Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Does that include spanking my kid in the “place that nature provided”? I’m not a violent person. - Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
Not solo. But I’ve sung in choirs and choruses. I love to sing, but I have very little faith in my own talents. - What's the first thing you notice about the preferred sex?
Eyes. I have a bit of a thing for nicely shaped hands too. - What really turns you on?
A good mind – preferably with a sense of humor. The ability to concentrate on something other than oneself. - What do you order at Starbucks?
Black coffee. If I actually go in there at all, which means that I’m starving and there’s no place cheaper. The whole concept of designer coffee offends me. - What is your biggest mistake?
I can’t think of one, believe it or not. I seem to have a guardian angel, so that everything turns out for the best even if I didn’t think so at the time. - Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
Maybe you need to define hurt. I mean, I had babies, and I’ll tell you, it’s one of the mysteries of life why any woman would do that – and more than once!
On the other hand, I’ve given myself manicures, which other people seem to think is painful. And my aunt termed ear piercing “barbaric.” But I’m not at all masochistic. - Say something totally random about yourself.
I still think my best times are yet to come. - Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
I don’t think so. People say things like, “you look like someone I know,” or “why do you look familiar?” - Do you still watch kiddy movies or TV shows?
Is “Shrek” a kiddy movie? Is “Finding Nemo?” And for years, people classed science fiction as kid stuff. I used “Sesame Street” as a teaching tool. Get out of the box! - Did you have braces?
Fortunately I didn’t need them, because there was no way in hell we ever would have found the money for them. - Are you comfortable with your height?
What am I supposed to do – sue? I am short. I even wrote about it at length . But unless there is something radically wrong with you, you learn to cope. “Oh, Tall Person, can you reach something for me?” I try to return the favor by picking up what drops, ’cause I’m closer to the floor. - What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you?
I didn’t take him up on it. However, when Husband first proposed, I was happily living in Manhattan. He lived in New Haven, and he offered to quit his job and move to the city if it meant that much to me. - When do you know it's love?
See the previous answer. That was a pretty good clue. I guess it’s really love when it rises above selfishness. - Do you speak any other languages?
Vor vierzig Jahren, sprach ich gut Deutsch. That is, forty years ago, when I still knew people I could speak with. I also read French – back in the day. Russian – well, I still remember the Cyrillic alphabet. I’m still interested in language, especially comparative words. - Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
I did mention that I’m not a masochist. I’ve never had much patience with just lying there doing nothing, which I’m sure has had something to do with keeping my skin in good condition. It amazes me what people will waste their money on. - What magazines do you read?
None, on a regular basis. Some of those I used to read changed to something I didn’t like, and the ones I really like stopped publishing. (And the publishers offered me Martha Stewart Living to take the place of Rosie – the Magazine. What jerks!) - Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Other than funerals, it was in a former life. When I had a decent job and we traveled once in a while, it was cost-efficient to have a private limo pick us up at home to transport us to and from the airport. - Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
At my age, a lot of them. The two grandparents I knew, both my parents, not to mention other family and friends. I miss them a lot, but as long as I remember, they’re not really gone. - Do you watch MTV?
Not since my kids outgrew it. It came along a little late for me. It couldn’t hold a candle to “Your Hit Parade.” - What's something that really annoys you?
Stupidity. The laziness of accepting so-called facts without challenging their validity. Y’know, it just occurred to me that maybe stupidity is the one thing that does “trickle down.” - What's something you really like?
Caller ID. It helps me avoid some of the more blatant stupidity. - Do you like Michael Jackson?
Historically only. The likeable Michael is long dead. What’s left?? Amazing what people will waste their money on, isn’t it? - Can you dance?
I used to. We all did when I was a teen. I even danced on television (with a college group). I loved ballroom dancing (Husband was a master), and I loved folk dancing. Nowadays, it’s only in the privacy of my own kitchen. - What's the latest you have ever stayed up?
One of the first things I learned in college was not to do that. During Freshman Week, when we all stayed up very late all the time, I yawned so badly that my jaw was dislocated. I needed a doctor to fix it that time. Eventually I learned to “reduce” it myself, but I had to watch out until I had my wisdom teeth removed.
However, after the senior prom, we stayed up all night and went to Playland the next day. - Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
Once – when my gall bladder flared up and I couldn’t identify the pain. I have ridden a couple of times with Husband, who has done such things as broken a hip or forgotten he was supposed to breathe. - Do you actually read these when other people fill them out?
Sure. Don’t you? We’re making friends with people we don’t know well. When we were kids, we could sit for hours and just talk. More constrained now, we might have to wait years to find out so much about each other.
