"It was imprudent of us, in the first place, to become authors. We could have become something regular, but we managed not to.
We were lucky, but we were also determined." Roy Blount Jr

"I don’t change the facts to enhance the drama. I think of it the other way round, the drama has got to fit the facts,
and it’s your job as a writer to find the shape in real life."
Hilary Mantel

Thursday, June 02, 2011

TMI


I totally ripped this off from my college and theatre days chum, GG. The reason is embedded in my responses.

1) ONE OF YOUR SCARS. HOW DID YOU GET IT? A scar the right side of my face resulted from an automobile accident when I was very little.

2) WHAT IS ON THE WALLS OF YOUR BEDROOM? A watercolour by my husband's great-grandfather, two watercolours by his dad, a pair of signed and numbered prints of houses in my hometown (our wedding reception was held in one), a similar print of the church in which we married, and a signed and numbered botanical print given to my husband by clients in Ireland.

3) WHAT DOES YOUR MOBILE PHONE LOOK LIKE? Not much. An upgrade from what I used to have. (There's a camera.)

4) WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? Mostly the same stuff I've always listened too--R.E.M., Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler, Elvis Costello, Arlo Guthrie, Dar Williams, Shawn Colvin, Paul Simon, The Cure, Psychedlic Furs, Elton John, Patti Smith, Todd Rundgren, Cyndi Lauper. Also Bach, Mozart, Handel, Purcell. A lot of traditional Celtic and folk stuff (good for the mandolin). Lady Gaga, The Killers, Counting Crows, Interpol. Can I stop now?

5) DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? Something like 9:30 at night. Past my grandfather's bedtime. (So he left the hospital for home, and met his first grandchild the following day.)

6) WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? World peace. After that, for our bathroom renovation project to be over. Only another 48 hours to go...

7) WHO DO YOU MISS? My grandparents.

8. IS ANYONE IN LOVE WITH YOU OR HAS A CRUSH ON YOU? Yes.

9) WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU KISSED? My husband. (I kiss my dogs, too.)

10) WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Elizabeth. (So queenly!) It makes my full name ridiculously long and excessively syllabic.

11) THE BEST TV SHOW EVER CREATED? Seriously? I'm not sure I've seen it yet. Brideshead Revisited is splendidly done...but the novel is still loads better.

12)THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO? My husband.

13) DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK? Occasionally, but I snap out of it fairly quickly.

14) THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY? Whoever was the last person to make me laugh really hard.

15) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOGNE/PERFUME? Penhaligon's Bluebell is awfully special. If I have a signature scent, that would be it. Or their Lily-of-the-Valley. Tea Rose by Perfumer's Workshop Ltd. is another favourite.

16)WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX? Dark-ish hair and whatever eyes. It's not really an important metric for me.

17) WOULD YOU RATHER BE SMART OR FUNNY? Smart. Then I would know what to laugh at.

18) COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINKS? I frequently drink coffee and have never consumed an energy drink. Why is tea not an option? I live on tea.

19) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING? Anchovies.

20) IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Escargots. Sometimes I get a craving for things I cannot make at home.

21) WHO IS THE LAST PERSON WHO MADE YOU MAD? Not naming names (not a family member) but it was based upon a complete misunderstanding (nobody's fault), and in clearing it all up Larger Problems Will Be Solved. So the anger was fleeting. And strangely productive.

22) DO YOU SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE? French (read it better than speak it), Spanglish, a very little Manx Gaelic and Irish and Scots and Welsh.

23) WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT THAT YOU REMEMBER SOMEONE GIVING YOU? At a very young I was given some paper dolls to play with in my hospital bed. It's my first memory, period. (See #1)

24) DO YOU LIKE SOMEONE? I like many someones.

25) ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED? Not that I know of. It sounds painful but I don't think it actually is.

26) FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND? Normally I don't care, I like what I like. I do tend to hunt for Per Una skirts and things whenever I'm in England.

27) WHAT IS YOUR DREAM CAR? The one I drive now. My dream come true!

28) WHAT COLOR IS IT? A really nice green.

29) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF EXERCISE? Ballet and walking the dogs.

30) WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING? Not again. Although it worked out wonderfully well the only time I did!

31) WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU? With words, then actions.

32) WRITE A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED. 73.

33) BLONDES OR BRUNETTES? Not sure of the context. I like people with all hair colours and types. Or none at all.

34) WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL THE MOST OFTEN? My husband's office line.

35) WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST? Right now? A certain female politician. In general? Rude people.

36) HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE COUNTRY? WHERE DID YOU GO? WHAT PLACE DID YOU LIKE BEST? Yes, lots of times. At least a couple of times per year. France, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Sint Maarten/St. Martin and Dominica in the Caribbean. And mostly England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, Jersey, C.I. I liked each one, for different reasons. I return most often to England, Ireland, and Wales.

37) YOUR WEAKNESSES? Where do I start? I can be very stubborn. ("Determined" sounds a little better.) I do have a temper and sometimes I'm too weak to keep it in check.

38) FRIES/CHIPS, RICE OR BEANS? My favourite fries are Arby's curly fries (I probably haven't had any in the past decade) and sweet potato fries. My favourite chips are the soggy, soft, greasy sort that come with fish & chips in Britain, with vinegar poured on. That might not sound so tasty...you'll have to take my word for it.

39) FIRST JOB? Gift shop clerk & ticket seller at a planetarium/museum

40) EVER PRANK CALLED SOMEONE? All too often, when I was a child.

41) WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED OUT THIS? Chatting with husband on phone.

42) IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I endured facial plastic surgeries in my extreme youth, before I was even 3 years old. (See #1 & #23).So I'm basically done with all that.

43) WHY DID YOU FILL OUT THIS MEME? I needed a blog topic that didn't involve the second laptop/hard drive meltdown within a year, the major & minor aggravations of intensive home improvment projects, scary weather disasters somewhat close to home, deadlines, too many meetings in one week, and no time at all for relaxation or recreation.

44) WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ON THE MOST? My dogs (unless they're misbehaving) and my clothes. Plus certain rings and earrings I wear.

45) WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL? Whatever I had to. I will not give up wine or hard cider. Or taking communion. I'm chronically law-abiding, so I think I'd have to move somewhere else.

46) WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? Something practical, I suppose. I have everything I want and far more than I need.

47) HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT? I have two dogs.

48) WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I was named after almost everyone. My first name goes back in my dad's family a couple of centuries at least. My middle name (see #10) is the commonest middle name in my whole family.

49) WHICH FINGER IS YOUR FAVORITE? The one with my wedding ring on it.

50)DO YOU WISH ON STARS? Practically every night.

51)WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Chobani Greek Honey Yogurt and roasted, salt-less sunflower seeds.

52) DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I used to, when I could still read it.

53) WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Hardly ever eat it. Given a choice, I go for the very thinly shaved roast beef.

54) ANY BAD HABITS? Blogging.

55) WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF? Godspell? Jesus-as-Hippie-Clown seems so dated. But I have soundtracks to nearly every show I was in. So there!

56) IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so.

57) HAVE YOU EVER TOLD A SECRET THAT YOU SWORE NOT TO TELL? Not that I recall.

58) DO LOOKS MATTER? Sometimes. For models and actors and dancers, livelihoods can depend upon it. But I don't value other people according to their looks.

59) YOU RELEASE YOUR ANGER? Stuff (always unbreakable) gets thrown and flung. Very dramatically. With sound effects.

60) WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME? On New Hampshire's largest lake. If you read this blog regularly, you already know that.


No comments: