Better To Be Pleasantly Surprised

Saturday 9: Back to Black

1) Black is this week's signature color because Friday, November 29, was "Black Friday," when retailers cut their prices and consumers flock to the stores. Did you score any "Black Friday" bargains?

A. Ha. I didn't even leave my house to get the mail. You wouldn't catch me in those mobs of people for any reason. There is nothing I need or want that badly.

2) Legend has it that Black Friday began as a neighborhood phenomenon among storeowners in Philadelphia back in the early 1960s. What else comes to mind when you think of Philly?

A. Cream cheese and the Liberty Bell.

3) Feasting and football are also popular Thanksgiving weekend pastimes. Do your Thursday-Sunday plans include pigging out or watching a game?

A. We pigged out on Thursday for the traditional Thanksgiving feast at my mother-in-law's house. No football games, but my husband has been hunting. Does that count?

4) At Thanksgiving dinners, Crazy Sam's homemade gravy is always a hit. (Probably because she's so generous with the cognac, which gives the gravy a nutty taste.) Do you have a signature dish?

A. I am known far and wide for my fudge.

5) Among the biggest the Black Friday advertisers are Target, Kohl's, Macy's and Best Buy. If you could have a $100 gift card to any one of those stores, which would you choose?

 

A. I'd rather have cash, but if it must be a gift card, then make it Barnes & Noble, which isn't listed. If I have to pick from your list, then Best Buy.  

6) You're in a public restroom that offers both paper towels and a hot air hand dryer. Which one do you choose?

A. I use the hot air hand dryer and then pull a towel to use to open the door with.

7) While Back to Black is the best-selling Amy Winehouse CD, her first was called Frank, named for her hero, Frank Sinatra. Tell us about someone you inspires you.

A. My husband inspires me because he never gives up. He moves along and accomplishes more in a single day than many in a week. On the celebrity front, both Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow inspire me because they made careers out of what they love and bravely fought cancer.  Anyone who has made a career out of their passion and their love is an inspiration for me.

8) Do you consider yourself a pessimist or an optimist?

A. A pessimist. Better to be pleasantly surprised than constantly let down.

9) Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone (a verbal conversation -- not an exchange of texts)?

 

A. My husband. We don't do texts. If what you have to say matters, you should be able to open your mouth and say it.