Question(s) of the Day: January 10, 2007

been saving up a bunch of these from Question of the Day to do all at once -- kind of like my very own survey with totally new questions!

1. What is the one thing you can’t sleep without?
i absolutely have to have something over me, even if it's just a sheet. i don't always have to have pillows. there are six on my bed but sometimes i lay on them, sometimes i hug one, sometimes i make a big pillow nest to sleep inside, and sometimes they all get pushed out of my way. something i can sleep without (and usually do) but always wish i had is "the perfect spot" -- when i find it, though, that's the best sleep *ever*.

2. What do you collect?
not much. clutter makes me a little crazy. plus with all the moves i've made? let's just say i have streamlined my belongings a *lot*. i do have some "themes" for Christmas/winter decorations that i really love though: snowmen, snowflakes, icicles, stars, angels, jingle bells & gingerbread men.

3. Who is the one person you would like to see start a blog?
hmmmm... that would be a toss-up between two of my friends: Alison (because she tells the best stories, her kids are *way* cute & the craziest things happen to her!) and Daniel (because he has lots of interesting topics to talk about & leaves well-composed comments on other blogs).

4. Other than windows, what other thing won't you do when it comes to housecleaning?
in the first place, who says i don't clean windows?? the one thing i really hate to clean is the shower. i will, of course, because if i didn't, it would be like living with Thing 1 again ::shudder:: but still, ugh.

5. Do you like cranberries? If so, how do you eat them?
i do like cranberries! and they are important for me to have. i drink a glass of (straight, unsweetened) cranberry juice almost every morning. i also like Craisins. and cranberry sauce (the good kind though!). or anyway that cranberries might be incorporated into a recipe. i really have yet to find a cranberry i don't like!

6. So tell us, if we looked in your refrigerator today, what would we find that was green?
nothing that shouldn't be, i can tell you that! ummm... let me think, since i am not at home to actually check. broccoli. zucchini squash. hmmm... i think that may be it at the moment!

7. If you could stay in bed today ... what would you have for breakfast?
nothing that makes crumbies! ;-)

8. How much money is in your wallet right now?
::opens wallet & counts:: $54.11

9. How much time do you spend at work goofing around on the computer?
as much as i want, as long as all my work is done! for real. that was part of the deal with my job when i interviewed. sometimes all my work is done (yes, i will be less than my typically modest self & say i am *that* good, but really it's my "Northern work ethic" that has never slowed down to the speed of life here in Florida) & the phones are quiet, so i am free to entertain myself at will online.

10. Remember the episode on Friends where Ross gets the monkey named Marcel .... now let's pretend that Ross just gave Marcel to you for keeps, what are you going to do with Marcel?
ummm... i am not allowed to have pets where i live. i think that he might enjoy going to live at Animal Kingdom, though, because, you know... it's Nahtazu!

11. Have you ever you participated in a potato sack race?
yes, i have! and the three-legged race too! and wheelbarrow races! we had a church picnic every summer & the kids would get split up by age groups & compete in these silly races for prizes. i can't remember now if i ever won or not, but i know that those races are all really hard to do when you're laughing hysterically.

12. Congratulations! You are the proud parent to triplets! What will you named your new brood?
well... after my heart attack at the thought of three babies at once, that depends. are they boys? girls? some of each? (assuming the father agrees, of course) all girls: Emma, Claire & Lauren. all boys (heaven help me...): Jack, Aaron & Ryan. two girls & a boy: Emma, Claire & Jack. two boys & a girl: Jack, Aaron & Emma Claire. i think that's all the possible combinations. middle names up for negotiation, except for Emma Claire in the "two boys & a girl" scenario.

13. You are at the magazine stand, what three magazines are you going to purchase?
Real Simple. Everyday with Rachael Ray. Redbook.

14. If you were a mail carrier, what kind of weather would bother you the most?

sleet. there is nothing that chills you to the bone like sleet. and what is it? is it rain? is it little pellets of ice? all i know it is stings when hits your face, makes walking (never mind driving!) treacherous & somehow manages to soak you to the bone with its icy chill.

15. Do you have a middle name? And if you do, are you named after anyone in particular?
yes, i do. it starts with an L. and i was not named after anyone for my first or middle names. bit of personal trivia: my Gramp did *not* have a middle name!

16. Do you prefer your cookies to be soft and chewy, or crisp and crunchy?
i guess it depends on the type of cookie, but i mostly prefer cookies that are soft & chewy, unless they are supposed to be crisp & crunchy.

17. What time do you usually go to bed? How many hours do you sleep for?
usually between 11:30 & midnight and i sleep for six hours. lately, though, i haven't been able fall asleep before 1 or 2am, which makes getting up at 6:15 less than fun.

18. The birds are flying south for the winter, where would you like to spend the winter?
i think i have a pretty good set up with "winter" in Florida. it hasn't even been all that cold this winter. just a few chilly days (today being one of them, by *our* standards anyway!). i guess if i had to pick another spot, i could "weather" winter in the OC! ;-)

19. Remember the song, "Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair"? Well, if you could wash anyone right out of your hair, who would it be?
just to clarify, no, i don't remember that song. i've managed to wash the men out of my hair that needed washing away, actually. i could do to wash another certain person out of my hair though, for all the headaches she's giving me lately! and that's all i am saying about that.

20. I'm having a dinner party at my house and you are all invited. You'll bring a dish, a bottle of wine, and a guest. What, and who, will you bring?
right now, i don't have a guest to bring with me & i don't know what i would bring along for a dish & a bottle of wine, but i know who i can ask for ideas! ;-)

21. Do you visit each person that visits your blog? Do you comment back to visitors within your own comments? Do you ever e-mail replies? Do you check back on posts that you have commented on to see if you have received a reply? Do you ever take a blog entry idea from another's blog and not give them credit?
some of the people who visit my blog are friends & i visit their blogs all on my own, whether they comment on mine or not. but for those people who visit & comment that i don't know, i always make a point to visit their blogs too & leave some sort of little comment & acknowledgment that they visited me. i don't reply to every comment on my blog though. some don't really need a reply, ya know? if i can reply to a comment via email, i usually do that. if i don't have access to an email, i will try to comment on my own blog & then leave a comment on the other person's blog to let them know that i did. i do sometimes check back to see if comments i have left on other blogs were replied to in their comments section. and i *never* borrow an idea without giving credit! that's just not right! i always try to link back to the place of inspiration.

22. HELP!!!You're stuck on a desert island, miles from anywhere. One morning an old fashioned steamer trunk washes up on the shore. Phew!!!Inside are 5 items & amazingly they are just the 5 items you would choose to be in a trunk if it was bobbing by! Quelle coincidence! So, there's a book, an iPod with 1 album on it, 1 flask of beverage, 1 meal and 1 luxury item. So, tell us, what would your 5 items be?
the book: i think this would be the perfect place to read JRR Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. it would kill a lot of time & what else do i have to do on a desert island?? i am thinking they must make the trilogy in one combined book, right?
the album on the iPod: "Be As You Are: songs from an old blue chair" by Kenny Chesney. it's tropical island-sounding music. at least the music would fit the atmosphere, right?
the beverage: water. must have my water.
the meal: i'm not really picky about *what* i eat, but can Daniel cook it? because then i know there would be like 42 courses, the food would be fantastic & it would last me a while!
the luxury item: i am going to assume that if they send me a luxury item, it will be one that i can use, right? after all, this magical trunk did manage to show up with all the right things in it. so i am going to say a cell phone with a fully charged mega battery, so that i can call for help & then text with people to keep me company while i wait for someone to rescue me!

23. Do you drive the speed limit?
who's asking? actually, i drive pretty close to the speed limit. usually no more than 5-7 miles over.

24. Do you prefer to give someone a list of things you'd like for Christmas, or do you rather that they pick out something without any help from you?
i never wrote out a list for Christmas or my birthday when i was a kid, so i have a really hard time now telling people what i want for gifts. i guess i figure that if you're buying me a gift, you know me well enough to pick something out. or you could opt for a gift card if you're really stumped -- i am not offended by that. i think i drop a sufficient amount of information here in my blog to spawn some ideas & there's also a wish list over there on the left side bar that if you click on it should also fuel some ideas! just don't make me feel like i'm actually *asking* for something. i'm just not comfortable with that!

25. When was the last time you had a snow day?
not recently! it was actually the winter before i moved to Florida so... January 2002. it snowed so hard, the governor shut down the state. we all inched our way home. my usual 35 minute commute took me over three hours (and omg did i have to pee by the time i got home!! sorry... tmi, i know...). by the time they expected me back at work, my car couldn't be found. it was a snow drift. and i lived in an apartment building so i didn't have a shovel. tried to dig out it out by hand but... ::laughs::

26. Do you blog early in the morning? Or at anytime of the day? Do you blog everyday or is it a bit of a hit and miss affair?
i blog whenever the mood strikes me. early in the morning. late at night. in the evening. during the day. doesn't matter to me! and sometimes it's every day, sometimes i miss a few days. sometimes it's a lot in one day. LOL!

27. Are you usually early, on time, or late?
i am usually early for everything. except for work since i moved. for some reason i cannot time this commute no matter what i do, even though i leave at the same time every day, which should be more than enough time for me to get here. so some days i am ridiculously early. other days, not so much. i hate being late. i am really sensitive about that.

28. So, tell us, what colour is your toothbrush?
it's white & a dark pinkish-red.

29. If there's an answer you don't know, a puzzle you can't solve, a snippet of information you just can't remember ... where do you go? Do you Wiki? ABN? Google? Ask? So, tell us, what is your question answering search engine of choice?
about 75% Google, 25% Wikipedia.

30. What is one item that you own that you really should throw away ... but probably never will?
i know i have a few things i *should* throw away. i haven't yet. not ready to. maybe someday. but all of it fits in one box. that's my personal limit.

31. Which is your favourite museum and why?
toss-up between the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, which fascinated me when i visited it as a kid & i would love to go again as an adult, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY.

32. What treat gets left out for Santa Claus?
we always left out Christmas tree sugar cookies. for some reason, those were the favorite shape for sugar cookies in our family when i was growing up. now, i would leave either a gingerbread man or maybe these amazing chocolate candy cane cookies that Nichole made for Christmas.

33. Do you think you'd ever be able to take a significant amount of time off from blogging? Or how about just the internet and email?
perish. the. thought. my blog is my outlet, both emotionally & creatively. i've never taken more than a few days off. and no internet? no email? what are you going to take away from me next, my cell phone so i can't text either??

34. Would you mind if someone else in your family named their newborn the same name as your child? Do you think it's rude?
i guess i would like the courtesy of them mentioning it to me first, but no i don't think i would mind. unless one family starting copying *all* my children's names. then it would be weird.

35. What is your favorite ice cream topping?
mmmm... depending on the flavor of the ice cream, raspberry or chocolate. or both.

36. Do you have a hard time making eye contact when you are talking to people?
no. in fact, i think it's important to make eye contact when you're speaking to someone. not every second, but enough so that you are making a connection. i notice when people make eye contact... and when they *don't*. if i don't make eye contact with you, you can be sure i am a) lying to you (not likely, since i am a terrible liar), 2) really pissed off or d) trying not to cry.

37. Speaking of eyes, what color are your eyes? Would you permanently change their color if you could?
my eyes are one of my favorite features. they are blue & change shade with my mood. everything from deep dark blue-black to steely grey, bright clear blue to a cold, icy blue.