the purple chai
now :: then :: me :: them

a fifty-something under-tall half-deaf school librarian in the jersey suburbs with two grown kids and time on her hands

Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.


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Selective Memory 425

05.01.2004

4:49 pm

Operating on no brain cells this afternoon, I was bored and decided to kill some time and get in some walking by going to Costco. On a Saturday afternoon.

Oy. Vey. What is it about that place -- okay, crowds in general -- that make people think that they can walk or even just stop without looking and not be in anyone else's way? Why are these people allowing their children to play by chasing each other in and out of the aisles, dodging between other people's carts and the mountains of fabric softener? Why would I ever think it was a good idea to go to Costco on a Saturday afternoon, I, the crowd-avoider? I must have lost my mind.

The Hubs just told me he made his plane reservations for Orlando. I'm very proud of him, as I know you are as well. I told him his next step at some point will be to get his own big-boy car to drive, since he's been driving either of the girls' old wrecks since his own personal old wreck died a year and a half ago. He doesn't want to own a car with air conditioning in it. You think I'm kidding.


Here's a survey I stole from Jane. I decided to leave out the questions I didn't have answers for. There were 50 originally; I don't know how many I left.

1. What year was the best year of your life? 1974 and 2003 were both very very good and very very bad.

2. One animal or insect that Noah should have left off the ark? Snakes, of course.

3. Do you make a wish before blowing out your birthday candles? I believe I do.

4. Do you generally open your bills on the day that you receive them? I never used to, and they would pile up and take up space and freak me out until I sat down once a month to look at them. Now I open them when they arrive, throw out the inserts, and deal with them every few days. Way better.

5. How many pillows are on your bed? Two for each of us.

6. Favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla.

7. What is the most dominant color in your wardrobe? Black. It goes with everything and everything goes with it.

9. Would you rather go to a carnival or circus? I love going to the circus, especially the big one. Cirque du Soleil, however, creeps the hell out of me.

10. Favorite meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Breakfast.

12. Have you ever flown first-class? No, but it's a goal to do it once before I die. Preferably to DisneyWorld.

13. Would you go on a reality show? Not that I would ever be asked to, but absolutely not.

14. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Optimistic. Pessimistic. Both.

15. Pancakes or waffles? Yes.

16. If you could own a home anywhere in the world, where would it be? Main Street, Magic Kingdom.

18. What site is a must see for all visitors to your city? The Bump. It's a place where two parks are connected by a pedestrian walkway under the road. You're supposed to drive over it fast. Most people who visit here really just want to go see New York City.

19. Can you recommend a good restaurant in your city? No. There are about 12 bagel shops, though.

20. You go to the zoo; What is the one animal that you want to see? Pandas, maybe elephants. Zoos make me sad.

22. What is the best movie that you've seen this year? Loved Love, Actually. I don't often see current movies.

23. One of your favorite books when you were a child? I loved Little Men. It reinforced my wanting to be a teacher.

24. What in your life are you most grateful for? That I'm still alive after brain surgery 12 years ago.

25. You are home alone and use the bathroom; do you close the door? No.

26. What is your favorite small appliance? I get a kick out of the electric stapler on my desk at work; I had to get a cheap one for home.

27. Salty snacks or sweet treats? Yes. Although I don't get much of either these days.

28. Are you usually a little early, a little late, or right on time? I have a little problem with being compulsively early. The Hubs is always exactly on time, so it feels to me like we're always late, although we never are.

30. Have you ever met someone famous? I once met Adam Clayton Powell in the elevator at the Congressional office building, and I saw Alan Alda buying ties at Bloomingdale's. My OldFriend lives in NYC in the Village and works in an antique shop there, and sees famous people every day.

31. What was one of your favorite games as a child? I was damn good at kickball. I could have turned pro. My favorite board game was Meet the Presidents, which I played endlessly with Grandpa Sam.

32. At what age have you looked your best? I always think of 19 as a prime age for me.

33. One person that never fails to make you laugh? I guess that would have to be the Hubs.

34. What was the first music that you ever bought? The first real music album I owned was Meet the Beatles, but my mother bought that for me. I remember buying James Taylor and Carole King in high school. I do remember owning Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme before that, though.

35. If you could change one thing about your family life when you were a child, what would it be? I would have loved it if my grandparents lived with us. All of them. I also felt the lack of a brother in the family.

36. What is the one thing that you cook that always receives compliments? The Thanksgiving turkey, which is actually embarrasingly simple to make.

37. From what news source do you receive the bulk of your news? TV in the morning.

38. In the last calendar year, how many people have you told that you love them? A bunch, although I'm not a gushy person. Since R went to Wales, we end every phone conversation with "love yous" all around, and I do that with K now too. I also say that to OldFriend with a telephone goodbye. I think she needs to be reminded that people love her.

39. Who received your first kiss? I've been tring to remember his first name all day, since I first read the question. I may have to go check my yearbook. His last name was Weiss. Imagine a cross between Eb from Green Acres and Draco Malfoy.

40. The single most important quality in a mate? Sense of humor.

41. What do you value most in a relationship? Sense of humor.

42. Do you believe that you have a soulmate? Yes.

43. Do you consider yourself well organized? Better now. Everyone else thought I always was. I'm better now.

44. On average, how many times a day do you look at yourself in the mirror? Two or three. It's not an experience I enjoy.

46. What one quality do you seek in a friend? Not a surprise here ... sense of humor. And honesty, I think.

47. Have you ever killed an animal? Oh. Yes. Once (about 30 years ago) I was driving on a dark road and when I went around a curve, my lights hit a cat sitting right on the middle of the road that I couldn't see until I was right on it, and it just didn't move out of the way. I was devastated. I remember once when I was a kid, my sister's boyfriend (who is now her third husband, actually) came to our house after he had just hit a dog with his car, a dog that had darted out in front of him with no warning. He cried for hours and hours, and his father finally had to pick him up and drive him home.

48. When you were twelve years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? A teacher. It's the only thing I ever wanted to be.

49. Do you believe in an afterlife? Yes, kind of.

50. What would you like to accomplish with the remaining years of your life? I would like to have decent health and a relative lack of disasters. I'm working on the health.

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I'm watching Ellen on HBO
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