Tag: Quiz-Things

SamuraiFrog answered these questions, so I figured I would, too…although, Halloween is the one holiday that I always think that I should get into more than I actually do. I’m not sure why that is…maybe it’s because I’m too busy grooving on how happy I am that it’s fall and my favorite month to really indulge my enjoyment of scary stuff. Not sure…but anyway, the questions!

(1) What’s your favorite Halloween costume ever?

In all honesty, I only remember a single Halloween costume…but it was pretty awesome. My favorite superhero as a small child was Captain Marvel (SHAZAM!!!), so my mother hand-made me a Captain Marvel suit. It was amazing…and I think she might still have it stashed someplace at the Original Casa Jaquandor. I wore it in Kindergarten and in 1st grade, which was the last time I ever trick-or-treated. (In second grade I think the town we lived in discouraged the practice, in third and fourth grade I decided it was more fun to just hand out candy, and after that, we moved to a place that wasn’t really in a ‘neighborhood’, per se.)

The Daughter has had a bunch of nifty ones, such as Swiftheart Rabbit (one of the non-bear Care Bears, and as a vampire queen, both hand-made by The Wife).

(2) What’s your favorite Halloween candy (or other treat)?

I know so few people who love candy corn, and yet it’s everywhere in October…and I love it! So there! And malted milk balls are great…but every year I’d forget the difference between them and Milk Duds, which are EVIL. Popcorn balls were nifty — still are, I suppose. And Almond Joy, huzzah!

(3) Name the scariest book you’ve ever read?

Steven King’s IT was pretty disturbing. But for giving me the heebie-jeebies as I read it, nothing’s ever matched my first reading of John Bellairs’s The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring. I was eleven or twelve, and there are some very creepy scenes in that book. Now, it’s a Young Adult book and by today’s standards it’s pretty tame stuff. But I’ve never since read anything that had me wanting quite as bad to sleep with all the lights on.

(4) Who’s the best movie vampire ever:
(a) Bela Lugosi
(b) George Hamilton
(c) Tom Cruise
(d) Robert Pattinson

I’ve got to agree with SamuraiFrog on this — the fact that Pattinson is on the list (they’re not even vampires, folks!) instead of Christopher Lee is pretty dispiriting. And I liked Gary Oldman, too.

(5) Who’d win in a fist fight? Sookie or Bella?

OK, this is dumb. I don’t even know who Sookie is.

(6) Are you superstitious? How?

Nope.

(7) Frankenberry, Count Chocula, or Boo Berry?

Here’s something you didn’t know: I’ve never had any of these. I’m just not that into the sugary cereals. If I want a sweet cereal, I’ll go for Golden Grahams every time. (I’ve been in the mood to revisit Honeycomb for the first time in 30 years, though, and compare notes with my memory….)

(8) Will you dress up this year? If so, as what?

Highly unlikely that I will. The Store encourages dressing up on the Saturday before Halloween, but I don’t work Saturdays. Nor do I get invited to dress-up Halloween parties (and that’s not a complaint!), so I don’t have a whole lot of opportunities. I’ll spend it like always: in overalls. (Which, funnily enough, end up being a component of a lot of costumes for others!)

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Here’s a set of interesting questions that Lynn posted, and as usual, I cannot resist!

Q: If something is forbidden, do you want it less or more?

I think that one thing that differentiates ‘adulthood’, or ‘maturity’, or whatever you want to call it, is the ability to understand why things are sometimes forbidden. Forbidden things tend to have less of the quality of, say, me at six years old being ‘forbidden’ to go into my sister’s room — you bet your ass that made me want to go in there at every opportunity!

But nowadays, when I’m told “You are forbidden to attempt to fix this piece of equipment!” (just to make up an example), I know that it’s generally because (a) I’m not qualified and (b) there’s a million volts going through it.

Q: Is there an area of your life where you feel out of control? Especially in control?

I have control of my writing. I don’t have control over whether it goes anywhere, but the words themselves, the ones that I choose to depict what happens to my characters? That’s all me!

As for being out of control? The economy at large, I suppose. The environment. The state of the world. I have precious little control over any of that, so I try not to worry about it.

Q: If you unexpectedly had a completely free afternoon, what would you do with that time?

When’s the afternoon? Mid-summer? Fall? Winter? Is there a movie just out that I want to see? Or do I want to get some coffee and do some writing? Or go walk in the woods and take pictures?

Q: Are you comfortable or uncomfortable in a disorderly environment?

A mix of both, I suppose. I know, weak answer…but I think that order is generally agreeable because it makes life easier. I get uncomfortable when order becomes a goal in itself, though.

Q: How much time do you spend looking for things you can’t find?

Again, depends on what it is. Wallet? Car keys? Glasses? Those I look for a lot. A certain book that I know I own? I’ll look a bit, and then figure it’ll turn up later on. (Or I’ll remember that I don’t even own it. Yes, that’s happened.)

Q: Are you motivated by competition?

Not that much, except for playing games or whatnot. Competition in life annoys me, and I hate approaching life that way or assuming that I need to. Again it goes back to things I can control, and really, the only thing I can control is my own efforts. I tend to think that the only competition I’m generally in is with myself.

Q: Do you find it easier to do things for other people than to do things for yourself?

Oh, yes. Yes indeed.

Q: Do you work constantly? or think you should be working?

Yes to the second. I live in constant fear that I’m not getting enough done. I look at my writing-tracking spreadsheet and I see that I’m consistently clearing my own quota, and I wonder if I shouldn’t double it. But I don’t want to set the goal so high that I’m spending time worrying about making that goal and not about other goals, like spending time interacting with the Family Unit.

Q: Do you embrace rules or flout rules?

It goes back to my answer to the ‘forbidden things’ question: if I know why the rule exists, I’m much more likely to follow it than if it just seems to be a rule created because that’s the way someone at a desk decided that things should be done.

But what about ‘writing’ rules? Most of those tend to be guidelines more than rules, but some that I think are really important to my personal productivity: Show, don’t tell; only rarely use anything other than ‘said’ as my verb of dialog attribution; adverbs are The Devil; and most importantly, Nulla dies sine linea: “Never a day without lines”.

Q: Do you work well under pressure?

Sometimes. Once I get the job going, I’m fine…but I do have a tendency to start trying to work a little too fast and then bad things happen. If I force myself to take my time and do the job I know how to do, I’m fine.

Q: What would your perfect day look like?

I’d get some writing done. I’d go for a walk. I’d drink some coffee in the morning and some rum in the evening. I’d talk to The Wife. I’d read. I’d wear overalls and I’d take a brief nap at some point.

Q: How much TV do you watch in a week (include computer time spent watching videos, movies, YouTube)?

Three hours a day? Maybe? It varies, and I tend to do some stuff while those shows are on, anyway. And you know what? I’m fine with that. I pick good stuff to watch, and there’s a LOT of good stuff to watch these days. I don’t feel that the time I do spend watching something is time I’m wasting.

Q: Are you a morning person or a night person?

Heh! My standard answer here is that I’m by temperament a night person who has been forced by certain aspects of life (such as the day job’s start time) to become a morning person. I tend to not get enough sleep during the week because of this. That may be my most unhealthy habit, actually.

Q: What’s more satisfying to you: saving time or saving money?

Again, it depends! But I tend to bias toward time. I know folks who rigorously sift through coupons and grocery store ads to determine which local store is cheapest any given week on various items they plan to buy, and then they’ll spend a day going to three or more stores to buy it all. That would drive me crazy. I’d much rather shop in one place, maybe spend ten more bucks than I would otherwise, and have my shopping done in an hour.

Q: Do you like to be in the spotlight?

I do, but I don’t like to seek it much. This blog (and other social networking mechanisms) are as extroverted as I tend to get. Now, if someone shines a spotlight on me, I’m not recoiling in horror. But I don’t knock myself out to get it.

Q: Is your life “on hold” in any aspect? Until you finish your thesis, get married, lose weight?

Not ‘on hold’, but…well, let’s just say that apartment living is losing its cachet….

Q: What would you do if you had more energy?

More of what I already do. In fact, my main hang-up isn’t energy; for me, it’s time. I don’t feel I have enough to devote to the things I truly love doing already!

Q: If you suddenly had an extra room in your house, what would you do with it?

Fill it with books? Or set up a woodworking/carpentry shop? Hmmmm….

Q: What people and activities energize you? Make you feel depleted?

Going to new places, new cities; walking museums and used bookstores. Walking outside. Depleted? I hate it when I’m forced into social situations where I’m ‘required’ to get to know people. I’m not terribly extroverted, until I get to know people.

Q: Is it hard for you to get rid of things that you no longer need or want?

Sometimes, if I can come up with a sentimental reason for it. But I’m gradually becoming more hard-nosed about stuff like this. My problem is getting motivated to go through and get rid of stuff to begin with.

(The exception here, of course, is books. I have the hardest time getting rid of books!)

Q: Do you get frustrated easily?

Yeah, I do. Not something I like about myself! I hate it when I know I’m doing something right and it’s still not coming out right.

Q: On a typical night, what time do you go to bed? How many hours of sleep do you get?

Usually midnight or so. Weekdays I’m up at 6:00 am, unless I’m not working, in which case I’m either sleeping in or I’m up when The Daughter gets up (not much later than that, sad to say). If I have an early morning job to do, I’ll get up shortly before 4:00 am. Currently I use the 6:00 to 7:00 hour to do a little online reading and such and then for writing. Writing every day really keeps the pump primed, and having a dedicated time each day when I write is really a good idea.

Q: If at the end of the year, you had accomplished one thing, what is the one accomplishment that would make the biggest difference to your happiness?

I’d love to sell a manuscript! But as I’m going to be starting editing this week, I’d like to at least have it submitted somewhere by year’s end. I’d also like to have the first draft done on Lighthouse Boy (not the actual title), but I’m not sure I’ll make it, as I’m not entirely sure how long this one’s going to be. I’m not sure if I should try to stick to my 180000 word goal, or allow myself more than that. As I currently have no idea where the story is going…I’m leaving this up in the air.

Q: And here’s another question for you. What questions would you add to this list, to help other people know themselves better? It’s so important, and so elusive.

Like Lynn: no book questions! I’m a firm believer that looking at someone’s bookshelf tells me a great deal about them. And maybe questions about vocations and the choosing thereof…not all of us get to choose our vocations, but are chosen for them, and of the latter group, a lucky bunch do find some value in them after all. If that makes sense.

Anyway…there’s the quiz!

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I haven’t done one of these in quite some time! Roger did this one, and I think I will, too.

1. One of my favorite TV shows recently changed the actors who played two characters. Have you ever been bothered by a TV show or movie series changing actors who play a character you love?

At first glance, I didn’t think I really had very many good examples of this, but thinking about it more, it’s obvious that I have a bunch. First we have the James Bond movies; you can’t be a long-time Bond fan and not have some strong opinions as to which one’s the best. (Mine is that I really, truly, honestly like every single Bond actor, and that the one most generally viewed as the worst — George Lazenby — was not only pretty good, but starred in the best Bond film ever made. How do you like that!)

Then we have things like the ongoing reboot of Star Trek, with younger actors cast as Captain Kirk and company, and there’s the new version of Spider Man coming out soon. I’m fine with Trek, although I’m not as thrilled with the resulting movie as some and I think the goofy “But it’s just a new timeline!” excuses are pretty weak; I’m not fine with Spider-Man, though, because it’s unnecessary when a perfectly acceptable (even if most folks didn’t like III all that much) series of films could have been continued, and the only reason this one’s happening at all is because Sony has to make a movie or they lose the Spider-Man rights.

I also remember things like the year that Donna Reed played Miss Ellie on Dallas, because they didn’t want to write out Miss Ellie but Barbara Bel Geddes needed time off. I was OK with that; by that point, Miss Ellie was mainly a supporting character, anyway.

So basically, I go with a case-by-case basis on this kind of thing.

2. A coworker recently shared a link to a blog listing the “five things you should know before dating a journalist.” As a journalist, I can honestly say the writer was spot-on. What are some things people should know before spending time with you?

I’m kind of confoozled by this question…if they want to spend time with me then they gotta know something about me to begin with, right? But anyway, I guess people should know that I tend to value honest conversation and laughter, and that I find racism and paranoia a major turnoff. Singing the praises of the New England Patriots is right out.

3. What is something you often do without realizing that you’re doing it?


Knuckle-cracking. Humming. Muttering to myself. Staring off into space because I’m thinking about something.

4. Who has the capacity to make you angrier than anyone else in your life, and what in particular does he or she do to make you so angry?

Yeesh, I don’t know…various Republicans, maybe? I can feel anger pretty intensely, but it burns itself out pretty quickly. The whole Tea Party thing makes me pretty mad, though. So do young people who bleat about Ron Paul and how awesome it would be if we hitched our 21st-century economy to 19th-century economic theory; what irritates me is how intensely clueless these folks are, and yet they’ll tell me, “Educate yourself!” And climate-change deniers strikes me as not just angering, but downright dangerous.

5. If a fairy waved a magic wand and gave you the house of your dreams, where would it be and what features would it have?


A large kitchen with really great ventilation, large bedrooms, a room big enough for the books (and with enough shelves), and it should be on a nice-sized lot bounded by a bunch of trees, for cooling and privacy. Oh, and a woodstove, and an outbuilding of some sort — maybe an old, ramshackle garage — where I could set up some kind of workshop so I could finally start exploring woodworking on a real basis and not just piecemeal via the projects I get at The Store.

6. What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree?

Obviously, that the Star Wars prequels don’t suck! And also, that Super Bowl commercials are generally lame and not interesting enough to bother watching. I pay so little attention that there could be an ad during a Super Bowl featuring Kat Dennings wearing overalls while engaging in a pie fight, and I wouldn’t know until the next day. (And maybe a good thing…that scenario might well make my head explode.)

7. I used to talk in my sleep. In fact, I could carry on a conversation with someone when I was fully asleep, and my mom used this fact when I was a teenager to find out if I did anything wrong and was hiding it from my parents. If you were talking your sleep tonight, what do you think you would say?

“Cersei, you lying whore.” (I’m reading A Clash of Kings right now.)

8. The fourth installment of the “Twilight” movie series (“Breaking Dawn Part I”) will be released in theaters soon. Movie theaters started selling advance tickets for midnight showings months ago. Have you ever attended a midnight premiere showing of a movie?

Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Those are the only midnight movies I’ve done. I’ve seen a host of others on opening day, though.

9. On Tuesday, tigers, lions and bears were let loose in Zanesville, Ohio, by their owner before he committed suicide, leading to a hunt in which 49 of the animals, including 18 endangered Bengal tigers, were killed. How would you react if you saw “Caution exotic animals. Stay in your vehicle” being displayed on a road sign?

OK, this quiz is officially dated now. If I’m in the car with a person I don’t like, maybe I distract them so they don’t see the sign and then trick them into getting outside? No, that’s mean. I guess I just drive away until I figure I’m safe and then call someone to find out what’s going on.

10. If a company opened a theme park aimed at adults, what would you name one of the rides?


The Princess Leia Organa Slave Girl Revue. This would take place at the Star Wars theme park. Which needs to exist.

11. Imagine you just moved onto Sesame Street. Which puppet would you want as your new roommate?


Since Kermit exists on both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, I will assume that Sesame Street is somewhat close to whatever street the Muppet Theater is on. This, therefore, gives me access to all the Muppets, and not just the ones on Sesame Street. For a roommate? I’d take Scooter. I think he’d be fairly quiet and conscientious. (I’ll bet Animal throws some wild parties….)

12. Have you ever had a weird crush on a famous person that didn’t make sense to you?


Nah, they all make sense to me. Some of them may not make sense to you, but I can’t help that!

13. If you get ten minutes to interview any celebrity of your choice, who would you like it to be?


George Lucas. Or Barack Obama. Or Joss Whedon. Or…I’ll just stop there, I guess.

14. You’ve just won the complete DVD collection of all the movies starring one actor or actress. Which actor/actress would you pick?


Ooooh, tough one. I think I’d go with Humphrey Bogart. Or Meryl Streep. Or Marilyn Monroe. Or…yeah, I’ll stop there.

15. Actor George Clooney recently told People Magazine that he doesn’t use Twitter “because I will drink in the evening and I don’t want anything that I could possibly write at midnight to actually end my career.” What is something you’ve said through social media and then regretted it?


A Facebook friend posted that he was going off to work as a polling place volunteer on either Election Day or Primary Day, and I posted something like “Good luck, and make sure you demand ID and do whatever you need to do to keep those pesky brown people from voting!” He’s pretty liberal, so I figured he and his friends would recognize that I was mocking the GOP’s jihad against ‘voter fraud’, none of which actually exists and which really gives rise to policies that just happen to also heavily discourage minority voters, who tend to vote for Democrats. My phrasing, though was not well-considered or well-received, so I apologized and deleted the comment. Not my finest moment online.

16. VH1 has re-introduced its hit show “Pop-Up Video,” which gives behind-the-scenes facts for popular music videos. What musician would you be most interested in learning behind-the-scenes facts about?


John Williams. Or the Beatles.

17. If you stumbled across someone’s personal written journal that was accidentally left in a public place, would you read any of the content?


That’s tough…I think I’d thumb through it, in the hopes of seeing if I could find any identifying marks within it, so that I might try to contact the owner and return it to them. If it was completely anonymous, though…maybe I’d read it. I’m honestly not sure.

18. What is the title of a self-help book that you’d never want to see on a store bookshelf?

Finding the Super Model In Your Life, by Tom Brady.

19. Many media outlets have been asking this question a lot this week… Which Halloween costume do you think will be overdone this year?

Well, obviously this quiz has been knocking around for a few months. Right now I have no idea…but the idea of a bunch of kids dressed up as Mitt Romney is pretty unsettling.

20. Should a marriage license have a renewal date or expiration date, like a driver’s license?

Ye Gods, why would we want to do this? Is someone seriously suggesting this? As in, you have to renew by a certain date or your marriage simply ends? Is this an actual idea out there somewhere? It seems to me that this, far more than allowing gays to marry, would fundamentally alter the notion of what marriage is about.

And there, the quiz ends. Huzzah!

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Roger has a brief quiz thing, and here it is:

If you could go back in time and relive one moment, what would it be?

One moment from my life? Wow, I’m not sure. Maybe the birth of The Daughter, or my wedding, or the first date with The Wife.

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

I’d propose to The Girlfriend (now The Wife) earlier. In fact, I’d propose, period. I had her ring on order when she proposed.

What movie/TV char­acter do you most resemble in per­son­ality?

Wow, this is a tougher question than it looks. Maybe Andy Sipowicz from NYPDBlue, without a lot of the baggage (like the bigotry). I’d like to be like Scotty from Star Trek, with the whole “miracle worker” thing. Or…yeah, that’s a hard question.

If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?

Some randomly-selected right-wing FOX News talking head, I suppose. But it would be a really low cliff, with something soft to break the fall. Like, say, a pile of manure.

Name one habit you want to change in your­self.

My desire to push Republicans into piles of manure. That is not the stuff of which good discourse is made!

Describe your­self in one word.

Verbose.

Describe the person who named you in this meme in one word.

Well-rounded! (Roger’s interested in a lot of stuff.)

Why do you blog? (In one sen­tence)

Because the world just isn’t complete without my thoughts on stuff like the costume in the new Superman movie, or the unappreciated merits of the Star Wars prequels, or how much the Buffalo Bills stink, or the latest space opera novel, or rhapsodic paeans to bib overalls, or why Upstate New York is awesome and should be the best place on the planet, or what types of pies are ideal for throwing, or random thoughts on hand or power tools, or the excessive use of commas to stretch single sentences out to ridiculous lengths.

Tags? Whosoever wishes this quiz is tagged!

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I’m looking for something to post, so here’s a quiz from Sunday Stealing.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?

I can’t imagine The Wife “betraying” me in any way more serious than, oh, eating the last piece of leftover pizza for lunch when I’d been looking forward to having it for dinner. My reaction to this would be to pout a bit.

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?

For George Lucas to come to me with his story notes for Star Wars Episodes VII, VIII and IX and tell me, “I’d like you to write the scripts.”

3. What is the one thing most hated by you?

Broccoli. Foul, vile weed!

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?

After setting aside enough to take care of my family for the rest of our natural lifetimes, I’d give big chunks of cash to various institutions in the Buffalo Niagara region. Or something like that.

5. Could you fall in love with your best friend?

I did that already. Married her, too! Yay, me! (This is getting sappy. I’m already regretting this quiz.)

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

Loving someone. Being loved is pretty cool, too.

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?

Twenty minutes. Then I’m out of here!

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?

Use my political or financial power to coerce his superiors to send him off to someplace dark and distant, at which time I would take her to my bed. Or something like that. (If I had no political or financial power with which to coerce his removal from the scene, I suppose I could kill the unlucky SOB. Or, more likely, just glower at him every time I see him, the stupid jerk with his receding hairline and complete lack of a chin….)

9. If you’d like to act (movies, stage) with someone, who would it be?

I’d like to be that guy in the tavern who says portentous things and is called “Old-timer”. If I have an onscreen death, I’d like it to be bloody and in slow-motion.

10. What do you expect of your loved one?

Put up with my annoying tendencies, cook me dinner regularly (but not always — I like to cook too), watch at least some of the things I like a lot with me, either wear overalls with me or just accept that I wear them, go with me to bookstores and let me go with her to craft stores, give me the occasional pie in the face. You know, the usual stuff.

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?

I’d probably use a mirror. [rimshot]

12. What’s your fear?

Learning that I am related by blood to Tom Brady.

13. Would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?

This question sucks.

14. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

On a work day: Glare at the alarm clock and say “shit”. On a weekend: Look around, go back to sleep.

15. Do you ever hold back in a relationship?

Nope. I’m a “full speed ahead” kind of guy.

16. If you fell in love with two people simultaneously, how would you pick?

I would require each to engage in a series of challenges to prove who loves me the most. The challenges would be increasingly absurd and odd and, eventually, demented and life-threatening.

17. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?

Sure. (Except for December 2, 1998, when The Wife ate for her lunch the piece of pizza I’d been saving for dinner. I will be avenged! Avenged, I say!)

18. What are your three most important expectations in love?

Understanding, laughter, food. Not necessarily in that order.

(Some of these answers may not have been serious answers…but the quiz was pretty gonzo, so I feel no guilt about this.)

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Like the title says: a lllooonnnggg quiz.

1. Tell us who the last person that you took a shower with.

I think The Wife would object. (To me describing what we do, not who the person is! Because it’s The Wife. And now I’ve said too much. Stupid quiz….)

2. Tell us about your favorite tee-shirt. Extra points if you show a pic. (We know. What can you do with freakin’ extra points?)

Probably any of my tie-dyed t-shirts. I don’t really wear t-shirts with logos on them much anymore, and only once in a while the occasional picture of something. I prefer solid colors and the like.

3. Has anyone ever hit on you even though they knew you were taken?

I have no idea. One reason I continue to profoundly happily “off the market” is that I was one of those guys who had zero notion of how to distinguish friendliness from flirting.

4. Do you plan what to wear the next day?

Sometimes, sometimes not. Depends. One nice thing about a job with a uniform is that planning what to wear is not necessary.

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Why?

Full, because I just had dinner. (An Italian sausage on a bun and some roasted potatoes, if you must know.)

6. What’s the closest thing to you that’s black?

My portfolio. It’s on my desk, right next to the laptop.

7. Tell me about an interesting dream you remember having.

Ach…I can’t. I rarely remember my dreams.

8. Did you or might you meet anybody new today?

Not officially “met”, no. There are lots of people in church whom I don’t know all that well, but I didn’t “meet” any of them.

9. If you could be doing anything right now (or perhaps after you finish this ridiculous meme) what would it be?

I’d say “writing”, but truth is, I could be writing right now. I guess I wish I could be traveling with The Wife.

10. Can you think of a meme question that’s never been asked?

“If you were going to be hit with a pie, what flavor would it be?” Nobody ever asks about pie-throwing preferences. It’s odd, really.

11. What comes to mind when I say China?

“Please step up and lead humanity into the future, because I’m not sure right now that America is going to get it done.”

12. Are you overly emotional?

I don’t think so…but some people might say that I am. Who knows?

13. If you could listen to just one rock album (CD, vinyl or mp3) which one would you pick?

One album right now, or one for the rest of my life? I’d go with Pink Floyd’s The Wall, I suppose. (But Abbey Road is making a serious challenge!)

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?

Both. But I “bite” with my lips, if that makes sense. Not with my teeth. That’s unpleasant.

15. Do you like your car?

Love it! The only thing I don’t like about it is that the A/C doesn’t work and is highly cost-prohibitive to fix. (Have I mentioned that I’m driving a new car? New to me, that is? No? Hmmmm…need to blog about that.)

16. Do you like yourself?

What’s not to like!

17. Would you go out to eat with Charlie Sheen?

If he’s paying, you bet. I never turn down free food. If I’m paying? Well, if that’s the case, it’s a fast-food place, we bring separate cars, and he’s not allowed to talk.

18. What was the last song that you listened to?

“Every Which Way But Loose”, by Eddie Rabbitt.

19. Are (or were) your parents strict?

Not really. As I mentioned when a similar question came up on Ask Me Anything! last month, they tended to set some general rules and then wait for me to screw up. (Which I usually did.)

20. Have you ever wondered what attending a wild orgy (if only to watch or…) would be like?

I expect it would be like some of the movies we watched while drunk in college: sweaty and unpleasant-looking.

21. I say cottage cheese. You say:

Throw in a spoonful or two of slivered almonds, and yum!

22. Have you ever met a celebrity?

A few Buffalo Bills, my Congressman at the time (Amo Houghton, incidentally the last Republican for whom I cast my ballot), and former Buffalo Philharmonic conductor Semyon Bychkov.

23. What was the last movie that you watched at home?

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. (Which is a far better movie than its reputation.)

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in?

Of course! I’m all about the sparkly. I have a wall sconce with a candle on it; from the sconce hangs a sun-and-moon sun catcher and several strands of Mardi-gras beads. And my dragon-head incense burner has some glitter on it. I love sparkly!

25. What countries have you visited?

The US and Canada. (I have it on my parents’ word that I’ve been in Mexico, but I was too young to have any memory of it.)

26. Have you ever made a phone call while you were drunk that you’ve regretted? If yes, do tell.

Thank goodness, no. My days of getting drunk with any regularity were several years before cell phone ubiquity.

27. Where were you going the last time that you were on a train?

There’s a train museum in Medina, NY that does special train runs on occasion. Christmas before last, we went for the ride. It’s just an “out and back” excursion which takes about an hour. I love trains and wish we took them more seriously in this country. Our lack of high speed rail is one of the most maddening things I can think of.

28. Bacon or sausage?

Depends. I’ll typically order sausage with my pancakes or waffles, but bacon is wonderful, too.

29. How long have you had a cell-phone?

My first one was for a year or two in 1999-2000, but we let the contract expire owing to financial constraints at the time. The Wife got a phone in 2004, when she found herself needing to make tons of calls regarding Little Quinn’s health care; she added me to the mix in 2007, and I’ve had my phone ever since.

30. What other memes do you do regularly?

Saturday Centus. Other meme-things I check out, and if I like the week’s installment, I do it.

31. Who is the craziest meme host?

Not a clue.

32. Who invented chop sticks?

I don’t know, but he’s right up there on my list of Top Inventors of All Time, along with the person who invented the sandwich, the individual who invented overalls, and whoever invented the Spork.

33. Who are you going to be with tonight?

When The Wife gets home from work, her.

34. Are you too forgiving?

Nah. Being forgiving is a good thing. I tend to stew for a while and then I get tired of stewing.

35. When was the last time that you were in love?

It’s a constant state, with me.

36. Tell us about your best friend.

Well, he dropped in on me one day to convince me to run for President. I didn’t think I could win, but he put together a team that…oh wait, that’s Leo McGarry. Sorry, I’ve been watching a lot of West Wing lately. My best friend is The Wife. Duh.

37. What was the stupidest thing you learned in high school?

I didn’t learn anything “stupid” in high school. I don’t believe in learning “stupid” stuff. (Although I didn’t really see the point of the typing class. But then, I never took that class.)

38. What was the last thing that you cried about?

What Sydney Carton does at the end of A Tale of Two Cities. God, what an amazing book that was!

39. What was the last question you asked?

“Did you wash your hands?”

40. Favorite thing to do this time of the year?

It’s Buffalo, so: root for the Sabres, and bitch about our irritatingly crappy spring. Seriously, spring here sucks. It’s like winter warms up into the 40s and then stays there stubbornly, for two months. Ugh!

41. If you had to get a (or another) tattoo, what would it be?

Washington crossing the Delaware. (No, not really. I have no desire for tattoos.)

42. How would your best friend describe you?

“He’s 5’10”, with long hair that’s going gray.”

43. Have you ever seen all three Twilight films?

No. Reading one book was bad enough. Awful, awful crap.

44. Ever walked into a glass door?

Yes. At The Store, on the day of Buffalo’s October Storm in 2006, I was pushing carts in the parking lot because no one else from that crew could make it in. Everything was OK, until the power finally went out just as I was shoving a big stack of carts into the door. Wham.

45. Favorite color on that person that you are attracted to?

Purple. Or yellow. Or blue. Or red. Or black.

46. Have you ever slapped someone?

Yes. (I’m not proud of it.)

47. What hair style (for you) would you like to see return?

I don’t care about style. Deciding what to wear because society arbitrarily decides what’s “socially acceptable” is silly.

48. What was the last CD you bought?

Wow, I honestly don’t remember. I haven’t purchased a CD in years. I always loved CDs, but prices are unacceptable.

49. Do looks matter to you?

A little. Not as much as to many, I hope.

50. Could you ever forgive a liar?

Sure. And if it’s a one-time thing and they’re genuinely contrite (and the lie’s of a certain magnitude), I can even trust them. But it would take a while.

51. What’s the hardest bill to pay every month?

Currently, I do a pretty good job of budgeting for my bills.

52. Do you like your life right now?

Yes. There are things that could be better, of course, and things I hope to change for the better both near-term and long-term. But we’re not wallowing in despair right now, either.

53. Do you sleep with the TV on?

No. We don’t even have a teevee in our bedroom. I’ve been known to fall asleep during our later shows in the living room, though — especially on nights when I’ve had to get to work at O-dark-thirty.

54. Can you handle the truth?

Depends on the truth, doesn’t it?

55. Do you have good vision?

Yes. I got glasses for reading back in the 90s; I got a new pair in 2001. I then didn’t go to the eye doctor again until just last year, whereupon the doc questioned why I was there at all, since my prescription hadn’t changed at all in nine years. I had to show him how scratched up my old glasses were; I wanted a new pair for that reason alone, and I figured I might as well get the prescription checked. I only wear glasses for reading and computer stuff; otherwise I get a headache after a while.

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?

I don’t like hate. It leads to the Dark Side. Dislike? Yeah, that’s unavoidable. I don’t put numbers on it, though.

57. How often do you talk on the phone?

Daily, although it’s usually to The Wife.

58. What celeb would you like to come home to?

Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic.

59. What are you wearing?

An old burgundy Old Navy sweatshirt under a pair of blue Dickies overalls.

60. What is your favorite wild animal?

Of the land? I love bison. Of the sea? I love orcas. Of the Muppets? This guy!

61. Where was your facebook picture taken?

In my bathroom, because the light’s good in there. (Calm down!)

62. Can you waltz?

Not officially, no.

63. Do you have a job?

Yes.

64. What was the most recent thing you stole?

I don’t steal things, unless we’re talking about the occasional pack of Post-it notes or Sharpie markers from work.

65. Have you ever crawled through a window?

Not to get into a house or apartment, no. There was some window crawling during college, when we’d wait until dark one year and go explore the construction site of the new music building as it was going up. One time I stupidly wandered out onto this very long beam and got myself to the point where I had to keep moving forward. That was kind of dumb.

And that’s it! Wow, what a long quiz!

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