The only news is that this morning at school, the presumed-library secretary made her way up to my little garrett and asked if I had any library work for her to do -- I did, and gave it to her, but I was oh-so-surprised at her first time asking since school started -- and then I found out that she didn't get the other job she applied for, so she's stuck with us, and I guess it finally occurred to her that her bread had better be buttered on our side. Yeah. I like her well enough, but "trust" does not exist in my vocabulary as far as she is concerned.
I saw this meme in a few places, but it was LA who inspired me to give it a go.
Do you hate more than 3 people? Hate, as it concerns people, is a word I take very seriously. When people used to say to me, Oh, you're so skinny; I hate you! I found that very offensive. To me, hate has got to be reserved for people like Hitler and Pol Pot. I am totally revolted and repulsed by, say, Dick Cheney, but I don't know that I bring myself to hate him.
What is your favorite candy bar? I like a nice Nestle's Crunch bar, or even a plain Hershey bar. Really, what's better than a Hershey bar?
What are your favorite shoes? Ah, I have waxed poetic before over my Merrell shoes, and more recently, my Crocs. Love me them Crocs.
Have you ever tripped someone? I do not believe that I have, certainly not intentionally. I've got enough to worry about by not tripping myself whenever I walk.
Do you own a Britney Spears CD? Holy Freaking Cow. Certainly not.
Have you ever thrown up in public? My last memories of public vomit were in the girls bathroom at Easton Hall (University of Maryland) in January, 1973, after my one and only bout of serious drinking, and previously, along a highway in Vermont on a family vacation in 1963. And so, the Little Chai learned that she must not read in a moving car.
What is your favorite music genre? If this is a genre, I like Sixties music. The Beatles represent music to me.
What is your sign? I have never given a second's worth of credence to any of this, and I don't even know my children's signs. I am apparently a Capricorn.
What time were you born? About 5:30 in the morning.
Do you like beer? Actually, I do, although I rarely drink. I'm not a connoisseur of beer in any way, shape, or form, though. I'm happy with a little bottle of Rolling Rock.
Have you ever made a prank call? I seem to recall attempting this once or twice as a kid, and witnessing my sister and her friends doing it.
What is the most embarrassing CD you own? I have a weird variety of things, but I guess it's Beatles for Babies.
Are you sarcastic? What was your first clue? Heavens, I am; we all are in this house. K is possibly the best at it.
What are your favorite colors? Well, purple, of course.
How many watches do you own? Too many to count. Like most things I ever own, I rarely throw one out, even if it doesn't work, and when I wear a watch -- I'm off watches this month -- I wear cheap ones, usually from $10 to $20 worth. I have a variety of Mickey Mouse watches, but none of them seems to be the right one.
Summer or winter? Summer, I think. I cannot bear to be cold, but the summer can be spent in air conditioning a lot, so it's comfortable, and I can stand the heat going from the house to the car. Winter requires all those layers, and I'm still always freezing and wet.
Spring or fall? I have a love/hate relationship with both. Love the changing colors on the trees and the crisp air; hate the mess of leaves all over the road and everything else, along with the mold. Spring, love the trees and the world turning green, and the death of cold winter, but it's my worst allergy season.
What is your favorite color to wear? Other than jeans, I wear a fair amount of black. It goes with everything.
Pepsi or Sprite? I rarely drink soda, and never cola. I prefer ginger ale, if anything.
What color is your cell phone? Black.
Have you ever slapped someone? I cannot recall ever doing so.
Have you ever had a cavity? I have more filled teeth than ... well, teeth.
How many lamps are in your bedroom? The ceiling fixture and a big swing-arm Ott Lite (a natural light lamp.)
How many video games do you own? None, really. I play Solitaire on the computer a lot, and also have Mah Johng and Bejeweled.
What was your first pet? I had a couple of little turtles from Woolworth's. They were named Willy and Pete.
Have you ever had braces? I did not. I had oral surgery when I was 12 which eliminated the somewhat gigantic space between my two front teeth. K had braces for awhile, which led me to conclude that braces are a scam.
Do looks matter? I guess they must, since so many people are obsessed with them. Looks matter to them.
Do you use Chapstick? When I use, I use the gel kind in a tube. My lips were constantly chapped for about ten years after my brain surgery. I wouldn't mention that, except my father's lips were chapped for the rest of his life after he had a stroke, so I always thought there was some sort of brain-lip connection.
Name 3 teachers from your high school: I can name all my teachers from high school; after all, I worked with a lot of them only six years later. Here are three of my faves: Mr. Buckley, Miss Trinka, Mrs. Paul.
American Eagle or Abercrombie? I cannot bear to go into or even walk past Abercrombie. It's Satan's playground.
Are you too forgiving? Except for like Abercrombie and Hitler and stuff.
Do you own something from Hot Topic? I do not. But I'm a fan. My kids shopped there a lot when they were actual kids, and I was always impressed with the service and professionalism, if that's the word, that the freaky looking kids who worked there showed. I felt they were very well trained and prepared for retail.
What is your favorite breakfast? Breakfast is my favorite food. Eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, toast, maybe pancakes or french toast. Coffee. Love. It.
Do you own a gun? What a completely preposterous thought.
When was the last time you cried? I used to be a very easy crier, but in recent years, I cry very little. Okay, Saturday.
What did you do 3 nights ago? On any given night, I watch TV.
When was the last time you went to Olive Garden? The last time was also the first time, a month or so ago.
Have you ever called your teacher mom? I don't believe that I ever did.
Have you ever been in a castle? Oddly enough, I have been in two castles twice, and another one once, because I've been to Wales and London twice in my life. The Tower of London is London's castle, so twice on that one and twice to Cardiff Castle. I've also been to Chepstow Castle, also in Wales, which is largely a ruin and not restored (as in the Cardiff Castle) or kept up in continous use, like the Tower of London. It was very cool.
What are your nicknames? Many people call me Ro. My kids call me Mommoo, which for some reason they spell Mommo. When I was a baby, my sister called me Bushy, which supposedly had something to do with what my baby hair looked like.
Do you know anyone named Bertha? My Aunt Rose's middle name was Bertha. Here the three winners that Grandma Sadie picked for her children: Rose Bertha, Irene Blanche, and Jacob Herbert.
Have you ever been to Hawaii? They'd have to sedate me for a plane ride that long.
Do you own something from Banana Republic? I own and regularly wear a fabulously worn out denim shirt from when Banana Republic first opened, more than 20 years ago, when their whole line looked like safari clothes.
Are you happy with your life right now? Yes. (Thought I'd have more to say there, dincha?)
Does anyone like you? Thanks to therapy, I am at last comfortable with the knowledge that, in fact, there are people who like me. I try not to be continually amazed and astonished at that.
What were you doing May of 1994? Let's see. K was just 10, R 13, I was ... 41? Gearing up for a summer trip to DisneyWorld with the Sibs and the twin Jays, which has been hilariously recounted here.
McDonald's or Wendy's? I enjoy both, but I'm an old school McDonald's sort of girl.
Do you like yourself? See Does anyone like you?, above.
Favorite feature of the opposite sex? Um .. voice ... sense of humor ... that whole general body thing.
Are you afraid of the dark? Not afraid of it, but uncomfortable in it, due to the whole bad-sense-of-balance thing. I literally cannot walk upright if it's too dark because I have no real sense of up and down without visual clues.
Have you ever eaten paste? Not.
Do you have a webcam? I do not.
Have you ever stripped? Not to the best of my recollection.
What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
What are your favorite TV shows? TV is my life. I watch way too much TV. I love it all.
What did you have for breakfast? 4 oz. nonfat vanilla yogurt, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, half cup of Kashi Go Lean cereal, half a banana.
What is your middle name? Don't have one. My mother thought that since my first name was like two names -- think Rosemary, although that's not it -- I didn't need one. I use my maiden name as my middle name now.
What foods do you dislike? I'm all about the texture of food. I can't stand anything with lumps or chunks in it. For example, a brownie with nuts ... ick! And don't get me started on tapioca.
What is your favorite CD at the moment? Lately I'm listening a lot to a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young mix.
Favorite sandwich? BLT on white toast, extra mayo on the side.
What are your favorite clothes? I'm a baby boomer. I live in jeans.
What color is your bathroom? Speckled white tile with brownish accents and really horrid foil wallpaper.
Favorite brand of clothing? Chico's.
Where would you want to retire to? Wherever my children (and grandchildren, hopefully) live.
Favorite time of day? Morning.
What did you want to be when you were little? Wife, mommy, teacher. Famous writer.
What is your best childhood memory? Sitting on the sofa in the den playing Meet the Presidents with my grandpa.
Eye Color? I have green eyes. One of my favorite features of me.
Ever been toilet papering? Never did that.
Favorite day of the week? I like waking up on Saturday morning and realizing that I don't have to go to work.
