Sunday Stealing: The Chicago Crazy Questions
1) What was your dream growing up?
A. I had many things I thought about being - an archeologist, a geologist, a writer/reporter, a college professor, a musician. I have always had a curious mind and I have yet to settle on one single thing.
2) What talent do you wish you had?
A. The ability to be proactive, which probably isn't a talent. If it isn't a talent, then some kind of physical ability, like karate or something.
3) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
A. Water or a root beer. If I were really feeling wild and crazy, I might ask for a NeHi grape soda.
4) What was the last book you read?
A. Hold Still, by Sally Mann.
5) Worst habit?
A. It's a tie between eating chocolate and biting my nails.
6) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
A. Since I have an idea of what you look like, Bud the Sunday Stealing author, and I know you like Star Trek, I would. But I do not offer rides to total strangers.
7) What is your favorite sport?
A. Women's figure skating.
8) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
A. We'd have a nice conversation and learn a bit about one another while we waited for my husband the firefighter to come to our rescue.
9) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
A. The multiple surgeries I went through while we were trying to have a child.
10) Tell me one weird fact about you.
A. I still like action figures. I really want a Wonder Woman action figure.
11) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
A. Come on in, Bud. Can I get you a drink? I have water, Diet Dr. Pepper, and unsweetened tea.
12) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
A. My big fat behind.
13) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
A. I would be your conscientious crime partner.
14) Ever been arrested?
A. Not exactly.
15) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
A. Pay off a loan.
16) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A. Read.
17) Biggest pet peeve?
A. At the moment it is constantly being harangued by the Archmage in my fellowship in a multiplayer city-building game I'm participating in because she doesn't think my sawmills are making enough goods. If she keeps on I am going to leave and go find another fellowship. When she pays my $9.99 for my game she can play it her way. Until then, she needs to shut up and leave me alone.
18) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
A. Perfectionist.
19) Do you believe in/appreciate romance?
A. Sure. Bring me flowers, sing me love songs, talk to me when you come through the door at the end of the day. Hate to leave me. Love me late at night. Talk about forever. (Bonus points if you can name the song I just butchered in that answer.)
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Sunday, May 07, 2017
Saturday, May 06, 2017
Saturday 9: The Tide is High
Saturday 9: The Tide Is High (1980)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This song was originally performed in 1966 by a Jamaican band called The Paragons. Jamaica is the most popular vacation destination in the Caribbean. What's your ideal vacation? (Relaxing on the beach, sightseeing in a new city, skiing the slopes, spending time with family, etc.)
A. A cabin in the woods.
2) In this song, Debbie Harry sings that she's not the kind of girl who gives up easily. How about you? Do you hang on stubbornly? Or do you know when to say "when?"
A. I probably say "when" too quickly.
3) Blondie is a group that took it's name from the lead singer's most identifiable characteristic, her hair. If your band was named after your hair, what would it be called?
A. Brunette and the Soft Whites
4) Before her career as a singer took off, Debbie supported herself as a waitress. She even served drinks while wearing bunny ears and tail at The Playboy Club. Have you ever worked in food service?
A. When I was a teenager I spent a summer working the kitchen at Camp Fincastle, which was a church camp. Other than that, no.
5) Debbie points to David Bowie as a major influence on her music and career. What's your favorite Bowie song?
A. Space Oddity (Ground Control to Major Tom)
6) In 1980, when this song was popular, the best selling issue of Rolling Stone featured Robert Redford on the cover. Who is your all-time favorite actor?
A. Harrison Ford, I guess. I don't really have one. He's just on my mind because May 4 was Star Wars day.
7) In 1980, Ted Turner revolutionized how we watch TV when he introduced CNN. Do you have any subscriptions services in addition to cable -- like Hulu, Amazon Prime or Netflix?
A. I have DirecTV, Amazon Prime, and a Roku.
8) John Lennon was murdered in 1980. Today there's a specially landscaped section of Central Park called Strawberry Fields in his honor. If you had a day to spend in New York, what would you want to see?
A. The Statue of Liberty, a Broadway Play, the 911 Memorial Buildings/site, the Empire State Building, and Macy's Department Store. It would be a busy day.
9) We're going shopping! Which do you need to add to your wardrobe: underwear, shoes or a swimsuit?
A. I just bought underwear. Can I go with that one?
_____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This song was originally performed in 1966 by a Jamaican band called The Paragons. Jamaica is the most popular vacation destination in the Caribbean. What's your ideal vacation? (Relaxing on the beach, sightseeing in a new city, skiing the slopes, spending time with family, etc.)
A. A cabin in the woods.
2) In this song, Debbie Harry sings that she's not the kind of girl who gives up easily. How about you? Do you hang on stubbornly? Or do you know when to say "when?"
A. I probably say "when" too quickly.
3) Blondie is a group that took it's name from the lead singer's most identifiable characteristic, her hair. If your band was named after your hair, what would it be called?
A. Brunette and the Soft Whites
4) Before her career as a singer took off, Debbie supported herself as a waitress. She even served drinks while wearing bunny ears and tail at The Playboy Club. Have you ever worked in food service?
A. When I was a teenager I spent a summer working the kitchen at Camp Fincastle, which was a church camp. Other than that, no.
5) Debbie points to David Bowie as a major influence on her music and career. What's your favorite Bowie song?
A. Space Oddity (Ground Control to Major Tom)
6) In 1980, when this song was popular, the best selling issue of Rolling Stone featured Robert Redford on the cover. Who is your all-time favorite actor?
A. Harrison Ford, I guess. I don't really have one. He's just on my mind because May 4 was Star Wars day.
7) In 1980, Ted Turner revolutionized how we watch TV when he introduced CNN. Do you have any subscriptions services in addition to cable -- like Hulu, Amazon Prime or Netflix?
A. I have DirecTV, Amazon Prime, and a Roku.
8) John Lennon was murdered in 1980. Today there's a specially landscaped section of Central Park called Strawberry Fields in his honor. If you had a day to spend in New York, what would you want to see?
A. The Statue of Liberty, a Broadway Play, the 911 Memorial Buildings/site, the Empire State Building, and Macy's Department Store. It would be a busy day.
9) We're going shopping! Which do you need to add to your wardrobe: underwear, shoes or a swimsuit?
A. I just bought underwear. Can I go with that one?
_____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Friday, May 05, 2017
Thursday, May 04, 2017
Thursday Thirteen
Happy Star Wars Day!
I am a fan, though not a super fan of the Star Wars franchise. I enjoy the movies (even the bad ones) and characters, but I don't watch Star Wars every year like I do Lord of the Rings. But it's all good.
Anyway, here are 13 facts about Star Wars.
1. The words “I have a bad feeling about this” are said in every Star Wars film. It's a running joke.
2. No female fighter pilots appear in the original trilogy. They were in the screenplay but removed from the final cut. (Figures, eh?)
3. In the story development phase of Return of the Jedi, George Lucas thought about having Luke turn bad. The thinking was that after Darth Vader died, Luke would put on the helmet and say,"Now I am Vader," and then turn to the dark side. Thankfully, the light side of the Force won out.
4. Universal Studios and United Artists both turned down the original Star Wars film. I bet someone was fired for that.
5. The words “Yoda” and “Yoda-like”, referring to a wise elder, now appear in the Oxford English Dictionary.
6. On May 4, 2015 astronauts on the International Space Station celebrated Star Wars day by watching the film on a big screen.
7. The second part of Darth Vader’s name is Dutch for father.
8. Yoda is the Sanskrit word for warrior. (Yoda was originally supposed to be called Buffy. Thank goodness someone stopped that atrocity, eh?)
9. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of only three films that have taken more than $2 billion at the box office. The other films are Avatar and Titanic.
10. The only film to have sold more tickets in the US than the original 1977 Star Wars (now retitled A New Hope because of those lousy prequels) is 1939’s Gone With The Wind.
11. One of the asteroids seen floating in outer space in The Empire Strikes Back is actually a potato.
12. Yoda had a different number of toes in the films. In The Phantom Menace, he has three toes. In The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Revenge of the Sith, he has four.
13. The South Pacific Island of Niue accepts limited edition Star Wars collectible coins as legal tender.
And two extra facts (because there are thousands):
14. Burt Reynolds, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, and Christopher Walken were the top contenders for Hans Solo. Aren't we glad they found Harrison Ford instead?
15. Hans Solo was supposed to be killed off in Return of the Jedi, leaving the Rebel forces leaderless as Luke disappeared into the wilderness. But director/creator George Lucas later said he thought killing off main characters would hurt toy sales, so he changed the ending to the big Ewok dance party. (I actually would rather have not known that, I think.)
May the Force be with you, always!
_______
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 498th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
I am a fan, though not a super fan of the Star Wars franchise. I enjoy the movies (even the bad ones) and characters, but I don't watch Star Wars every year like I do Lord of the Rings. But it's all good.
Anyway, here are 13 facts about Star Wars.
1. The words “I have a bad feeling about this” are said in every Star Wars film. It's a running joke.
2. No female fighter pilots appear in the original trilogy. They were in the screenplay but removed from the final cut. (Figures, eh?)
3. In the story development phase of Return of the Jedi, George Lucas thought about having Luke turn bad. The thinking was that after Darth Vader died, Luke would put on the helmet and say,"Now I am Vader," and then turn to the dark side. Thankfully, the light side of the Force won out.
4. Universal Studios and United Artists both turned down the original Star Wars film. I bet someone was fired for that.
5. The words “Yoda” and “Yoda-like”, referring to a wise elder, now appear in the Oxford English Dictionary.
6. On May 4, 2015 astronauts on the International Space Station celebrated Star Wars day by watching the film on a big screen.
7. The second part of Darth Vader’s name is Dutch for father.
8. Yoda is the Sanskrit word for warrior. (Yoda was originally supposed to be called Buffy. Thank goodness someone stopped that atrocity, eh?)
9. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of only three films that have taken more than $2 billion at the box office. The other films are Avatar and Titanic.
10. The only film to have sold more tickets in the US than the original 1977 Star Wars (now retitled A New Hope because of those lousy prequels) is 1939’s Gone With The Wind.
11. One of the asteroids seen floating in outer space in The Empire Strikes Back is actually a potato.
12. Yoda had a different number of toes in the films. In The Phantom Menace, he has three toes. In The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Revenge of the Sith, he has four.
13. The South Pacific Island of Niue accepts limited edition Star Wars collectible coins as legal tender.
And two extra facts (because there are thousands):
14. Burt Reynolds, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, and Christopher Walken were the top contenders for Hans Solo. Aren't we glad they found Harrison Ford instead?
15. Hans Solo was supposed to be killed off in Return of the Jedi, leaving the Rebel forces leaderless as Luke disappeared into the wilderness. But director/creator George Lucas later said he thought killing off main characters would hurt toy sales, so he changed the ending to the big Ewok dance party. (I actually would rather have not known that, I think.)
May the Force be with you, always!
_______
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 498th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, May 03, 2017
Tuesday, May 02, 2017
A Racoon in a Tree
This picture was taken circa 1986 with black and white film and probably my Nikon film camera.
Monday, May 01, 2017
My Dog
I grew up with dogs. I know, I know. With my allergies, how could that be? Well, I mostly stayed sick and no one realized it was the dogs, I think. Or the Christmas tree. Or any of the million other things that are on a farm that a child with bronchial issues shouldn't be near. It was a different time and such things weren't given much thought.
We had inside dogs and outside dogs. We had Dalmatians, poodles, collie mixes, and mutts. I think there was a German Shepherd in there somewhere.
After I married, I quickly found out that I was going to be alone a great deal. I worked so the 8-6 hours weren't so bad, but the nights were deadly. At the time we lived right on the Blacksburg Road and the cement trucks constantly rumbled down the two lanes of asphalt, their brakes grinding as they began descending the small incline that started near the house we rented.
About this time of year in 1984, I went to the flea market. A friend of my husband's sat with a litter of pups, mixed mutts she was giving away. Part Eskimo Spitz and part Terrier, she said, the result of an clandestine and unwanted affair between her dog and a neighbor's pet. They were about 12 weeks old. She had several left, and I picked up the solid black one.
She came home with me. I put her in a box in the basement with an alarm clock to keep her company. She was tiny then, but quickly grew, though I don't think she ever weighed more than 30 pounds. I could always pick her up.
About the time I adopted Ginger, I visited an allergist and was told the dog needed to be outside. Ginger actually preferred to be outside, I think. Once we built her a pen and a dog house, she seldom attempted to come inside even when I tried to coax her in. I hated to put her in a pen but with the traffic on Blacksburg Road we couldn't leave her to run free while we lived so close to the road.
After we built our house and moved in 1987, we had a difficult time keeping her here. We let her run loose because we are about 1/4 mile from the road. However, she would find her way back to our old house, which was on the other side of the farm. I had to fetch her many times before she finally figured out home was not there anymore.
Her biggest and wildest chase occurred in the middle of the night the second summer we were in our new home. I was alone and asleep. She woke me with her frantic barking. I climbed out of the bed and turned on the exterior lights to find a skunk on the front porch, spraying the cedar wood siding, the dog, and everything in between. The smell was atrocious and choking. It really should be used as sprays for police use. That is some strong stuff.
Anyway, I went out the back door with a handkerchief over my face to keep from gagging. No amount of calling would bring Ginger from her prey. The air was so heavy with skunk odor that you couldn't breathe. Finally, in desperation, I called my husband at the firehouse and woke him at 2 a.m. to ask him what I was supposed to do. I couldn't shoot the skunk because I'd be aiming at the house. What if I missed?
He said he would come home, but by the time he arrived I'd figured out that I needed to turn the water hose on the dog to get her away from the skunk. He pulled in the driveway in time to see the skunk race down the hill in the front yard and into the field while I grabbed a soaking wet and stinking dog.
The dog reeked for a month despite numerous baths, and for years, even with repeated washings with Dawn, Mr. Clean, tomato juice and anything else we could think of, the front porch smelled like skunk when it rained. I lost a pair of tennis shoes and clothing in that incident - they smelled too bad to save.
Still, she stayed outside. Even when the temperatures dropped below freezing I had a difficult time coaxing her into the garage. She wasn't house trained and I always put out newspapers when I brought her out of the bad weather, but she seemed to know she wasn't supposed to "go" in the house regardless. Until she aged, she managed to hold it and then race outside when I opened the door. After she turned 10 or so, she looked forlornly at me if she made a mess, even though I didn't scold. It wasn't like we'd trained her to be an inside dog, after all.
She also had a way of letting us know we had annoyed her, especially when we went on trips and left her in the care of my in-laws. She would ignore me for days upon our return, and then finally I would be forgiven. I had to give her a great deal of attention to get back into her good graces, though.
Ginger seldom stayed still, and when my vehicle came up the driveway she would dance around the yard. Even when she was 17 (yes, 17!) and near the end of her life, she stood up and wandered over to the driveway when she heard the car.
The only time she was sick was when she about 10 years old. I came home from work and she didn't greet me. I immediately began looking for her, and found her whimpering near the fence in the woods. She was alive but obviously something was wrong. I couldn't find any bites on her, and it was after 5 p.m. and I feared I wouldn't be able to get help for her. I carried her to the house and laid her on a rug, then raced to the phone (no cellphones back then) and called the vet. Fortunately he was still working and said he would wait for me to bring her in. He kept her for two days but we never did know what was wrong with her. He suspected some kind of snake bite but could not find puncture wounds. Antibiotics helped whatever it was.
After I began working from home, many times during the day I would go to the back door and talk to her. All I had to do was peck on the glass and she'd suddenly be there. I still miss that.
She died in May 2001, about seven months after I'd lost my mother. She'd been my dog for a very long time, so long that I forgot she was 119 in dog years. We must have done a fairly decent job of caring for her, since she lived so long.
We did not get another dog after she passed away. I'd had her for so long I couldn't bear to replace her. I think it took me a year to stop looking for her, dancing her doggy dance of delight in the yard when my car pulled in.
We had inside dogs and outside dogs. We had Dalmatians, poodles, collie mixes, and mutts. I think there was a German Shepherd in there somewhere.
After I married, I quickly found out that I was going to be alone a great deal. I worked so the 8-6 hours weren't so bad, but the nights were deadly. At the time we lived right on the Blacksburg Road and the cement trucks constantly rumbled down the two lanes of asphalt, their brakes grinding as they began descending the small incline that started near the house we rented.
About this time of year in 1984, I went to the flea market. A friend of my husband's sat with a litter of pups, mixed mutts she was giving away. Part Eskimo Spitz and part Terrier, she said, the result of an clandestine and unwanted affair between her dog and a neighbor's pet. They were about 12 weeks old. She had several left, and I picked up the solid black one.
She came home with me. I put her in a box in the basement with an alarm clock to keep her company. She was tiny then, but quickly grew, though I don't think she ever weighed more than 30 pounds. I could always pick her up.
About the time I adopted Ginger, I visited an allergist and was told the dog needed to be outside. Ginger actually preferred to be outside, I think. Once we built her a pen and a dog house, she seldom attempted to come inside even when I tried to coax her in. I hated to put her in a pen but with the traffic on Blacksburg Road we couldn't leave her to run free while we lived so close to the road.
After we built our house and moved in 1987, we had a difficult time keeping her here. We let her run loose because we are about 1/4 mile from the road. However, she would find her way back to our old house, which was on the other side of the farm. I had to fetch her many times before she finally figured out home was not there anymore.
 |
| Ginger (left) facing down a raccoon while the neighbor's dog watched. |
Her biggest and wildest chase occurred in the middle of the night the second summer we were in our new home. I was alone and asleep. She woke me with her frantic barking. I climbed out of the bed and turned on the exterior lights to find a skunk on the front porch, spraying the cedar wood siding, the dog, and everything in between. The smell was atrocious and choking. It really should be used as sprays for police use. That is some strong stuff.
Anyway, I went out the back door with a handkerchief over my face to keep from gagging. No amount of calling would bring Ginger from her prey. The air was so heavy with skunk odor that you couldn't breathe. Finally, in desperation, I called my husband at the firehouse and woke him at 2 a.m. to ask him what I was supposed to do. I couldn't shoot the skunk because I'd be aiming at the house. What if I missed?
He said he would come home, but by the time he arrived I'd figured out that I needed to turn the water hose on the dog to get her away from the skunk. He pulled in the driveway in time to see the skunk race down the hill in the front yard and into the field while I grabbed a soaking wet and stinking dog.
The dog reeked for a month despite numerous baths, and for years, even with repeated washings with Dawn, Mr. Clean, tomato juice and anything else we could think of, the front porch smelled like skunk when it rained. I lost a pair of tennis shoes and clothing in that incident - they smelled too bad to save.
 |
| This is her pen from when we were renting. She ran free after we built our house. |
 |
| She seemed to like snow. I think it was the Eskimo Spitz influence. |
Still, she stayed outside. Even when the temperatures dropped below freezing I had a difficult time coaxing her into the garage. She wasn't house trained and I always put out newspapers when I brought her out of the bad weather, but she seemed to know she wasn't supposed to "go" in the house regardless. Until she aged, she managed to hold it and then race outside when I opened the door. After she turned 10 or so, she looked forlornly at me if she made a mess, even though I didn't scold. It wasn't like we'd trained her to be an inside dog, after all.
She also had a way of letting us know we had annoyed her, especially when we went on trips and left her in the care of my in-laws. She would ignore me for days upon our return, and then finally I would be forgiven. I had to give her a great deal of attention to get back into her good graces, though.
Ginger seldom stayed still, and when my vehicle came up the driveway she would dance around the yard. Even when she was 17 (yes, 17!) and near the end of her life, she stood up and wandered over to the driveway when she heard the car.
 |
| She was hard to photograph. |
 |
| Her dog house behind her. We put cedar in it. |
 |
| I was glad when we didn't have to pen her anymore. |
The only time she was sick was when she about 10 years old. I came home from work and she didn't greet me. I immediately began looking for her, and found her whimpering near the fence in the woods. She was alive but obviously something was wrong. I couldn't find any bites on her, and it was after 5 p.m. and I feared I wouldn't be able to get help for her. I carried her to the house and laid her on a rug, then raced to the phone (no cellphones back then) and called the vet. Fortunately he was still working and said he would wait for me to bring her in. He kept her for two days but we never did know what was wrong with her. He suspected some kind of snake bite but could not find puncture wounds. Antibiotics helped whatever it was.
After I began working from home, many times during the day I would go to the back door and talk to her. All I had to do was peck on the glass and she'd suddenly be there. I still miss that.
She died in May 2001, about seven months after I'd lost my mother. She'd been my dog for a very long time, so long that I forgot she was 119 in dog years. We must have done a fairly decent job of caring for her, since she lived so long.
We did not get another dog after she passed away. I'd had her for so long I couldn't bear to replace her. I think it took me a year to stop looking for her, dancing her doggy dance of delight in the yard when my car pulled in.
 |
| Taking a rest during one of our walks. |
 |
| She liked the creeks, too. Looks like we might have been feeding her a bit too much in this photo! |
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Sunday: Author Unknown Q&A
Sunday Stealing: The Unknown Author Questions
1. If someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?
A. They could read this blog and learn a lot. They could watch Lord of the Rings. They could listen to music from the 1970s.
2. Have you ever found a blogger who thinks just like you? if so, who?
A. Many of the Saturday 9, Sunday Stealing, and Thursday 13 folks think like I do about various things.
3. List your fandoms and one character from each that you identify with.
A. Lord of the Rings - Frodo
Xena: Warrior Princess - Gabrielle
Supergirl - her sister Alex (although I also identify with Kara aka Supergirl)
Harry Potter - Hermione
Game of Thrones - Arya Stark
Masters of Sex - Virginia Johnson
Big Bang Theory - Amy Farrah Fowler
Cagney & Lacey - Cagney (yes, I am old)
4. Do you like your name? Is there another name you think would fit you better?
A. My name is fine. For a time I tried to go by my initials, A.J., but it never caught on.
5. Do you think of yourself as a human being or a human doing? Do you identify yourself by the things you do?
A. I tend to be "doing" more than "being." I am afraid it is ingrained in Americans courtesy of the Puritan Work Ethic (a theological and sociological concept emphasizing diligence and hard work), passed down by our forefathers. I have spent time working on the "being" part, though, with some success.
6. Are you religious/spiritual?
A. I am spiritual. I don't consider myself particularly religious. Tried it and found it too structured and let's face it, the Bible reverses itself on many issues. If I'm going to cherry-pick on my religious constructs, as today's religions do, I would just as soon do it myself and take it from whatever source I want.
7. Do you care about your ethnicity?
A. No. But then, I am white, and I have no need to. I suspect it would be different if my skin tones were another color.
8. What musical artists have you most felt connected to over your lifetime?
A. Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow.
9. Are you an artist?
A. If you consider writers to be artists, I am an artist.
10. Do you have a creed?
A. Be kind, be smart, be good. I think that's more of a motto than a creed, though.
11. Describe your ideal day.
A. I wake and stretch, with the sunlight coming in because I have slept to my normal waking hour, not the one the alarm clock brings. My handsome young dude brings me breakfast in bed, which would consist of fruit, toast, and chocolate. Then he goes on his merry way, leaving me to shower and dress. Then I would spend the rest of the day with the best book ever written.
12. Dog person or cat person?
A. Dog.
13. Inside or outdoors?
A. Inside. I wish I could be outside but I am allergic to all but two plants in the world, and they are in Eastern Asia.
14. Are you a musician?
A. Yes. I play the guitar.
15. Five most influential books over your lifetime.
A. If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland
Any Nancy Drew book
Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching, translated by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Children's Bible (1972 version)
Our Bodies, Our Selves
16. If you’d grown up in a different environment, do you think you’d have turned out the same?
A. Nope. I would be different.
17. Would you say your tumblr is a fair representation of the “real you”?
A. I don't have a tumblr. I'm not even sure what that is.
18. What’s your patronus?
A. I took the Patronus Test and got 'My Patronus is a Rabbit'! - Your patronus takes the form of a Rabbit. A rabbit is known for being somewhat shy. Similarly, you tend to be quiet around others, especially new people. However, you are very bright and alert. You are good at reading people and know who to trust. You are also nurturing and kind. You may have trouble conjuring your patronus because your mind tends to race in the heat of a battle. (I am not sure what good a rabbit would be in battle, though I suppose they bite.)
19. Which Harry Potter house would you be in? Or are you a muggle?
A. You got: Ravenclaw. You're clever and wise. Your friends often come to you to get advice because you always know what to say. Your creativity allows you to look at things in an out-of-the-box way. And your wit makes you a pleasure to be around. (That's according to this quiz.)
20. Would you rather be in Middle Earth, Narnia, Hogwarts, or somewhere else?
A. Middle Earth, in The Shire or Rivendale.
21. Do you love easily?
A. No.
22. List the top five things you spend the most time doing, in order.
A. Taking care of house and husband
Wasting time on the computer (includes FB, video games & blogging)
Cooking
Reading
Driving (because you can't get anywhere from where I live without a 20-minute drive)
23. How often would you want to see your family every year?
A. Um.
24. Have you ever felt like you had a “mind-meld” with someone?
A. Not exactly, but I have met people and known immediately that we would become friends.
25. Could you live as a hermit?
A. Yes.
26. How would you describe your gender/sexuality?
A. I am Woman, hear me Roar.
27. Do you feel like your outside appearance is a fair representation of the “real you”?
A. I don't think so, but it probably is.
28. On a scale from 1 to 10, how hard is it for someone to get under your skin?
A. About a 4.
29. Three songs that you connect with right now.
A. Unwritten, by Natasha Beddingfield
Bohemian Rhapsody (Pentatonix version, watch if you haven't seen it)
Nowhere to Go, by Melissa Etheridge (beautiful song and video)
30. Pick one of your favorite quotes.
A. Not exactly a quote, but a scene:
Xena: See how calm the surface of the water is. That was me once. And then . . .
[Xena throws a stone in the water]
Xena: . . . the water ripples and churns. That’s what I became.
Gabrielle: But if we sit here long enough it will go back to being still again; go back to being calm.
Xena: But the stone is still under there. It’s now part of the lake. It might look as it did before, but it’s forever changed.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
1. If someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?
A. They could read this blog and learn a lot. They could watch Lord of the Rings. They could listen to music from the 1970s.
2. Have you ever found a blogger who thinks just like you? if so, who?
A. Many of the Saturday 9, Sunday Stealing, and Thursday 13 folks think like I do about various things.
3. List your fandoms and one character from each that you identify with.
A. Lord of the Rings - Frodo
Xena: Warrior Princess - Gabrielle
Supergirl - her sister Alex (although I also identify with Kara aka Supergirl)
Harry Potter - Hermione
Game of Thrones - Arya Stark
Masters of Sex - Virginia Johnson
Big Bang Theory - Amy Farrah Fowler
Cagney & Lacey - Cagney (yes, I am old)
4. Do you like your name? Is there another name you think would fit you better?
A. My name is fine. For a time I tried to go by my initials, A.J., but it never caught on.
5. Do you think of yourself as a human being or a human doing? Do you identify yourself by the things you do?
A. I tend to be "doing" more than "being." I am afraid it is ingrained in Americans courtesy of the Puritan Work Ethic (a theological and sociological concept emphasizing diligence and hard work), passed down by our forefathers. I have spent time working on the "being" part, though, with some success.
6. Are you religious/spiritual?
A. I am spiritual. I don't consider myself particularly religious. Tried it and found it too structured and let's face it, the Bible reverses itself on many issues. If I'm going to cherry-pick on my religious constructs, as today's religions do, I would just as soon do it myself and take it from whatever source I want.
7. Do you care about your ethnicity?
A. No. But then, I am white, and I have no need to. I suspect it would be different if my skin tones were another color.
8. What musical artists have you most felt connected to over your lifetime?
A. Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow.
9. Are you an artist?
A. If you consider writers to be artists, I am an artist.
10. Do you have a creed?
A. Be kind, be smart, be good. I think that's more of a motto than a creed, though.
11. Describe your ideal day.
A. I wake and stretch, with the sunlight coming in because I have slept to my normal waking hour, not the one the alarm clock brings. My handsome young dude brings me breakfast in bed, which would consist of fruit, toast, and chocolate. Then he goes on his merry way, leaving me to shower and dress. Then I would spend the rest of the day with the best book ever written.
12. Dog person or cat person?
A. Dog.
13. Inside or outdoors?
A. Inside. I wish I could be outside but I am allergic to all but two plants in the world, and they are in Eastern Asia.
14. Are you a musician?
A. Yes. I play the guitar.
15. Five most influential books over your lifetime.
A. If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland
Any Nancy Drew book
Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching, translated by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Children's Bible (1972 version)
Our Bodies, Our Selves
16. If you’d grown up in a different environment, do you think you’d have turned out the same?
A. Nope. I would be different.
17. Would you say your tumblr is a fair representation of the “real you”?
A. I don't have a tumblr. I'm not even sure what that is.
18. What’s your patronus?
A. I took the Patronus Test and got 'My Patronus is a Rabbit'! - Your patronus takes the form of a Rabbit. A rabbit is known for being somewhat shy. Similarly, you tend to be quiet around others, especially new people. However, you are very bright and alert. You are good at reading people and know who to trust. You are also nurturing and kind. You may have trouble conjuring your patronus because your mind tends to race in the heat of a battle. (I am not sure what good a rabbit would be in battle, though I suppose they bite.)
19. Which Harry Potter house would you be in? Or are you a muggle?
A. You got: Ravenclaw. You're clever and wise. Your friends often come to you to get advice because you always know what to say. Your creativity allows you to look at things in an out-of-the-box way. And your wit makes you a pleasure to be around. (That's according to this quiz.)
20. Would you rather be in Middle Earth, Narnia, Hogwarts, or somewhere else?
A. Middle Earth, in The Shire or Rivendale.
21. Do you love easily?
A. No.
22. List the top five things you spend the most time doing, in order.
A. Taking care of house and husband
Wasting time on the computer (includes FB, video games & blogging)
Cooking
Reading
Driving (because you can't get anywhere from where I live without a 20-minute drive)
23. How often would you want to see your family every year?
A. Um.
24. Have you ever felt like you had a “mind-meld” with someone?
A. Not exactly, but I have met people and known immediately that we would become friends.
25. Could you live as a hermit?
A. Yes.
26. How would you describe your gender/sexuality?
A. I am Woman, hear me Roar.
27. Do you feel like your outside appearance is a fair representation of the “real you”?
A. I don't think so, but it probably is.
28. On a scale from 1 to 10, how hard is it for someone to get under your skin?
A. About a 4.
29. Three songs that you connect with right now.
A. Unwritten, by Natasha Beddingfield
Bohemian Rhapsody (Pentatonix version, watch if you haven't seen it)
Nowhere to Go, by Melissa Etheridge (beautiful song and video)
30. Pick one of your favorite quotes.
A. Not exactly a quote, but a scene:
Xena: See how calm the surface of the water is. That was me once. And then . . .
[Xena throws a stone in the water]
Xena: . . . the water ripples and churns. That’s what I became.
Gabrielle: But if we sit here long enough it will go back to being still again; go back to being calm.
Xena: But the stone is still under there. It’s now part of the lake. It might look as it did before, but it’s forever changed.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
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