Moomin Light

Christmas meme

I have had little interest in blogging lately.  I guess any extra energy is going into physical therapy and practicing flute for choir tomorrow (and keeping things going while dear husband was gone all week).  I've reached my "feeling a failure at Christmas" point, after which, hopefully, I'll start to enjoy it.

[Later note:  I wrote this post this afternoon.  We decorated the tree this evening, and I'm feeling much more Christmas-y.]

I have energy and feel pretty good earlier in the day, but, by the time I get on the computer, I have no energy and feel rather flat.  I'm even behind on our photoblog about Duke Gardens.  I haven't even done anything with the camera lately. 

We had some snow last night, but I can't do anything in it, or even go outside, because it's icy and I don't want to re-injure my knee while it's healing. 

I realized, when I came across this Christmas meme at Electronic Cerebrectomy, that I haven't done a meme in a long time.  This is a long meme (though I've cut out some questions) which will make up for that (pictured right: Biltmore House last December):

Favorite Christmas…
01. Non-Jesus-related song?
Baby, It's Cold Outside    

02. Jesus-related song?
Silent Night (I can also sing the first verse in Estonian)

03. Santa-related song?
Santa Claus is Coming to Town

04. Fictional character?
Jim and Della in O. Henry's Gift of the Magi

06. Dinner’s dessert?
...has to be chocolate

07. Scent (pine, gingerbread, candles…)?
Pulla

08. Animated movie?
Rudolph

09. Non-animated movie?
She Loves Me

This or That
12. Candy cane or peppermint patties?
Neither.  I like pillow mints or After Eight mints.

13. Sugar or gingerbread cookies?
Estonian Christmas cookies

14. Tinsel or beaded strands?
Tinsel.

15. Multi-colored or same-colored lights?
Multi-colored. Same-colored are too tasteful.

16. Flashing or still lights?
Still on our tree/outdoor decorations. Flashing on other peoples'.  I like to look at the flashing ones, but I don't want to see them all the time. (Lights to the right are at the Biltmore House)

17. Wreaths or mistletoe/holly?
Neither.  I have a bad memory of wreaths from high school, and dear husband can do wonderfully without the mistletoe.

18. Rudolph or Frosty?
Rudolph

19. Sledding or snowball fights?
Sledding.  I couldn't do that today because of my knee.

20. Snow or ice/icicles?
Snow

21. Snow hat or earmuffs?
Hat

22. Getting or giving?
Giving.

23. Snow days or plow trucks?
Snow days!

24. Stockings or presents?
Presents

26. Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Both.  They each have their own specialness.  Our church has a beautiful Christmas Eve service (and lots of fun singing for the choir).

27. Log Burning Channel or real thing?
Log Burning Channel?!  Heresy!

Real thing

28. Cards or emails?
I like letters that tell you what people have been doing.  I might even get ours out this year.

First Thought That Comes To Mind When You Hear…
67. Snowflake!
Falling

68. Pinecones!
Bluegrass

69. Elves!
Herbie

70. Sleigh!
Ride

71. Presents!
Open

72. Cookies!
Yummmm!

73. Mistletoe!
Yummmmm! [The kissing - not the mistletoe, which is poisonous]

74. Rudolph!
Like a lightbulb

75. Blizzard!
Not where we live

76. School’s Canceled!
Friends for younger son to play with

77. Ice Skating!
Weak ankles

79. Black Friday!
Go hiking

80. God’s Son!
Adoring

83. Nutcracker!
Rehearsals (lots of rehearsals)

What’s a Winter Activity YOU Do…
86. …In the snow by yourself?
Take pictures

87. …Inside by yourself?
Read

88. …In a public place (with/alone)?
Go to see Christmas Decorations with my family (e.g. Biltmore House, in Asheville, pictured right, and above)

89. …With friends/family in the snow at home?
Sledding

90. …With friends/family inside at home?
Games

Grade/Rate Holiday Movies A – F
91. A Christmas Story. Haven't seen it
92. How The Grinch Stole Christmas? B for the original.  I'll never see the recent one.
93. The Santa Clause? Haven't seen it.
 94. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer? A+++
95. Frosty The Snowman? A.  This doesn't get an A+ because it scared me when I was very little.  Every time we made a snowman, I was afraid it would come inside and melt on my floor (I didn't need snow creations committing suicide in my room).
96. Home Alone? Haven't seen it.
97. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Haven't seen it.
98. Elf? You know, I don't watch most recent Christmas movies
99. Miracle on 34th Street? A+. It just came from Netflix
100. A Charlie Brown Christmas? A+

Christmas At My House…(one or the other)
111. Tree is fake/real?
Fake.  I'm allergic to real ones.  The one we have is the one my parents bought when they figured out that we were allergic. 

112. Tree is under/above 4′?
Above.

113. Open presents Christmas Eve/Day?
Christmas Day at home or Christmas Eve at my mother's house.

114. House/entire yard is decorated?
Moderate decorations inside.  A few bushes and a tree outside.

115. Amount of presents under the tree?
Enough to take quite a while at a leisurely pace.

116. Snowman is a male/female?
Non-gendered

117. Go for Santa?
We don't make a big deal of Santa.  A simple stocking will do. 

118. Homemade/delivered/takeout Christmas dinner?
Homemade.  Last year, at daughter's request, we had stuffed shells for Christmas dinner.  I don't know what dear husband will make this year (he's the creative cook.  I'm not).

  119. Bedtime is before/after midnight?
After.  We have a Christmas cookie snack after we get back from the Christmas Eve service.

120. Wake-up is before/after 7am?
LOL!

After.

123. Do shopping before/after Thanksgiving?
After.  November has its own joys.

124. Low-key/over the top decorations (inside and out)?
Low key outside, but we have lots of fun and creative ornaments on the tree (pictured above and below).

Have You Ever?

128. Sat on Santa’s lap?
Long ago

129. Shoveled the driveway/sidewalk?
Yes. We had a long driveway in upstate NY (one of the reasons I love NC)

130. Made snow angels?
Yes.

131. Built a fort/igloo?
Yes.  We did build a wonderful one once in NY.

135. Caught a snowflake on your tongue?
Still fun.

136. Went caroling?
I love caroling, but I haven't had a chance to do any for years.  I keep thinking of trying to get a caroling party together, but I'm always behind on what I have to do in December.

137. Got hurt during the winter season?
Do two knee surgeries count?

138. Gone ice skating/sledding?
I love both.

139. Kissed under a mistletoe?
There must have been some mistletoe at some party dear husband and I have been to - in which case, yes.

True Or False
181. You prefer to stay inside where it’s warm?
I feel cooped up inside.  Particularly today.

182. You’ve given something (or $) to charity?
Yes.

183. You spent more than what people spent on you?
Who keeps track?!

184. You like to take your time opening presents?
Yes.

185. The thing you want most this year costs $100+?
Dear husband and I got each other a new CD player (our old one is rejecting more and more of our CDs), which arrived last week.  We'll open it at Christmas.

188. Christmas = snow?
Central NC = No

189. You know the lyrics to more than 25 Christmas songs?
Definitely!

Grab Bag
190. Three best things about Christmas?
Sitting and snuggling someone in front of the lit tree with all the other downstairs lights off. 
Baking.
Watching everyone open presents - particularly the Christmas treasure hunt.  For each of our kids, I make a treasure hunt with about 8 or 9 clues.  The clues start with pictures when the kids are young, and go to riddles or word scrambles when they're older.  One year, I did a French word scramble for older son. 

(Hint (which I learned from older son):  Word scrambles are the most difficult when the scramble looks like a real word)

191. Worst Christmas song?
There are so many bad ones, it's hard to decide.

194. Tastiest holiday treat?
Egg white cookies with chocolate chips

195. Favorite pop culture Christmas icon?
Rudolph

196. Know how to make cookies/brownies/cake from scratch?
Yes.  They're best that way.

199. What kind of pattern/pictures do you like on your wrapping paper?
Pretty or interesting or colorful.  Most of the wrapping paper I've seen at the stores this year wasn't interesting enough. 

Linkfeast - February 10, 2009

A very long linkfeast for gloomy winter days (which is when I put it together, though this week is nice).  I've been gathering links of varying sorts - serious, musical, filmish, snarky, bawdy... Read at your own risk.

I wish I could write like that:  

• The best opening line I've read in a while in Inaugural Address at If You Belonged Here:

Did anyone else take one look at all those people freezing their butts off out there on the mall and think of March of the Penguins?...

• After reading two memes at Huh? The Blonde Goddess is Confused, I may never write another meme.  Nothing I could write could ever match up.  For instance, in Flopping Boobieland... she answers the 50 questions meme: 

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? The Menahmehna song(from the Muppets or Sesame Street, I can't remember which one it's from)...my second favorite is the vibrate mode...need I explain that?

If I had answered that meme, I would just boringly answer that I don't have a cell phone.  And, in The Alphabet Game, she mentions ten things she loves that begin with N (Not safe for work or around small children): 

3. Nudity..DUH! Do I really need to explain WHY I love to be naked? Or why I love for other people to be naked? I can't speak for others but I like letting it all hang out although sometimes it's hanging in places I'm not impressed with, but what can you do? (Remember the depressed boobies?)

The depressed boobies post is very funny too.

All-Time Favorite Movie Actresses Meme

The Film Experience Blog started the Twenty Favorite Actresses meme, which has spread all over (see the blog for links). 

I couldn't quite stick to twenty - even when I limited the actresses in three ways:

1. Actresses I know through movies (rather than TV or theater (I might do a separate list of those, later)).
2. Actresses that I've seen in more than one movie (which leaves out Claudette Colbert, regardless of how much I enjoyed her performance in "It Happened One Night).
3. Actresses that I not only enjoy their performances, but actresses that will get me to see a movie just because they're in it - even if the movie is one I wouldn't usually care for.  

I highlighted the movie the photo comes from (unless I couldn't find a good movie photo).

Julie Andrews
(Sound of Music, Victor/Victoria, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mary Poppins):

 

Lauren Bacall
(To Have and Have Not, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Murder on the Orient Express, The Big Sleep):

 

Sandra Bullock
(Miss Congeniality, The Lake House, While You Were Sleeping):

 

Leslie Caron
(Lili, American in Paris, Father Goose, Gigi, Daddy Long Legs):

 

Cyd Charisse
(Silk Stockings, Bandwagon, Brigadoon, The Harvey Girls):

 

Jamie Lee Curtis
(A Fish Called Wanda, Freaky Friday):

 

Janeane Garofalo
(The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Ratatouille, The Matchmaker):

 

Whoopi Goldberg
(Ghost, Sister Act, Alice in Wonderland, The Lion King, Soapdish):

 

Anne Hathaway
(The Devil Wears Prada, Get Smart, Becoming Jane, The Princess Diaries):

 

Audrey Hepburn
(Charade, My Fair Lady, Robin and Marian, How to Steal a Million, Funny Face, Sabrina, Roman Holiday):

 

Katherine Hepburn
(African Queen, Bringing Up Baby, Love Among the Ruins, The Lion in Winter, Suddenly, Last Summer, Desk Set, Adam's Rib, Woman of the Year, The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, Little Women):

 

Amy Irving
(Yentl, The Competition, Crossing Delancey, An American Tale:  Fievel Goes West):

 

Madeline Kahn
(Young Frankenstein, What's Up Doc, Blazing Saddles, A Bug's Life, The Muppet Movie, The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother):

 

Bette Midler
(The First Wives Club, Oliver and Company, The Stepford Wives, The Rose):

 

 

Anne Miller
(Kiss Me, Kate, On the Town, Easter Parade):

 

Kate Nelligan
(Dracula, Eye of the Needle):

 

Queen Latifah
(Chicago, Stranger Than Fiction):

 

Julia Roberts
(Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, The Ant Bully, My Best Friend's Wedding):

 

Maggie Smith
(Harry Potter movies, Becoming Jane, The First Wives Club, Sister Act, Murder by Death):

 

Barbra Streisand
(Yentl, Funny Girl, Hello Dolly, What's Up, Doc?, On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever, The Mirror Has Two Faces):

Emma Thompson
(Sense and Sensibility, Much Ado About Nothing, Remains of the Day, Love, Actually, Harry Potter movies, Treasure Planet, Impromptu, Nanny McPhee):

 

Alfre Woodard
(Take the Lead, Heart and Souls, Star Trek:  First Contact):

 

Catherine Zeta-Jones
(The Mask of Zorro, Chicago, The Legend of Zorro, Ocean's Twelve)  Okay, I couldn't choose so you get two photos:

 

There are a number of actresses who weren't quite on the list, but very close:  Sophia Loren, Judy Garland, Ingrid Bergman, Kate Winslet, Dame Judi Dench, Goldie Hawn, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michelle Pfeiffer, Suzanne Pleshette, Angelina Jolie, Lesley Anne Warren, and Miranda Richardson. 

You can tell which are my "favorite favorites" by how many of their movies I've seen.  Of the three most favorite, two have the same last name (but are unrelated).

Other favorite blogs which have done this meme.  If you do the meme, please leave a comment, and I'll add you to the list:

And Your Little Blog, Too - of all the blogs I looked at, the choices were the most similar.

Self-Styled Siren

The Sheila Variations

my new plaid pants

Breakfast with Pandora

A Meme

I'm feeling better than yesterday.  My knee has been better today, and I started the day swimming laps and watching the sunrise.  I was even able to stay cheerful after the sun went down (which hasn't been happening lately).  A good day - homeschooling, raking leaves, walking at Ayr Mont, and enjoying "Get Smart." 

I haven't done a meme in a while.  I got this one from Mommy Brain (I traced the meme back through a few blogs, and the numbering is strange on all of them):

1) How do you like your grilled cheese?
I'm copying Mommy Brain's answer on this one because I agree:  On white bread, with Velveeta, light to medium brown with the cheese melted.

My Forgetfulness, and "Dance With Me"

In April, Alias Clio at The Other World, tagged me for a meme.  I neglected to mention that she tagged me (though I've now fixed that post).  Please go check out her meme.   Lemur Reflections also did the meme (and no one besides me has tried Lemur Reflections' movie meme).

On Alias Clio's recommendation, we recently watched Dance With Me.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable movie, and she has a wonderful review of it:

...The second Youtube clip illustrates a less purely - how should I put it? - indigenous kind of dancing, as it shows the dancing of couples rather than an entire community, but dancing on display here is still miles away from what goes on in non-Latin, non-black dance clubs in North America. The couples move around the room, switching partners spontaneously; the young men break free of the women, and dance a kind of tribute to the singer; then they turn about and dance with each other - not in a sexual way, but rather to encourage each other in their courtship manoeuvres; and finally, they turn back to the women who have been dancing among themselves, reclaiming their partners. It is as if they are dancing to Life itself....

Meme

[Written earlier today]

Tagged by Alias Clio at The Other World.

What I was doing ten years ago:
(:::sotto voce::: What a personal question - younger son's tenth birthday is nine months from now. )

Gardening.  April 1998 was the first spring in our current house.  I was also homeschooling 10 yo son and 6 yo daughter.

Five things on my To-Do list today:
1. Make dinner
2. Take a walk
3. Finish laundry
4. Finish watching Dance with Me (The first 3 disks we got from Netflix were either broken or pixellated about 15 minutes from the end)
5.  Keep reorganizing younger son's room

5 Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Get a house in the Blue Ridge mountains
2. Get dear husband to quit his job
3. Take all 5 of us to Europe
4. Parks!  Buy parkland in NC and give it to environmental groups
5. Donate to something helping women and children in need. 

Three of my bad habits:
1.  Wandering the internet
2.  Staying up too late obsessing about things that bother me
3.  Daydreaming

Five places I've lived:
1.  Boston
2.  Detroit
3.  Bynum, NC
4.  Washington, DC
5.  Winston-Salem, NC

Five jobs I've had:

1.  Homeschooling mother
2.  Aerobics Instructor
3.  Insurance Company Statistician
4.  Research Assistant
5.  Programmer

Five books I've recently read:
1.  I'll Be Watching You - Charles de Lint
2.  Ivy Briefs:  True Tales of a Neurotic Law Student - Martha Kimes
3.  Cult of the Amateur:  How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture - Andrew Keen
4.  An Ex to Grind - Jane Heller
5.  The Big Over Easy:  A Nursery Crime - Jasper Fforde

Five people or communities I'm going to tag:
1. Lemur Reflections (and, everybody else, go do her movie quote game!)
2. Emily
3. Nigel Tangelo
4. Groovy Mom
5. Dear husband

Movie Quote Meme Game

I'm adding the answers, some commentary, and another movie meme for you to go try, in bold.  Plus pictures.

From Pseudotherapy:

• Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
• Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie (or quote them from memory).
• Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
• Fill in the film title once it’s been guessed.

These are the players’ rules:
No Googling or using IMDb search functions (don’t cheat!).
Leave your answer(s) in the comments.

I pick the quotes; you guess without internet aid.  I'll post the results as they come in.  Bonus points if you guess which actor is in the most movies of the 15 (the quotes aren't necessarily said by his characters).

[Maryann at The Awkward Blogger has identified 7.  Click here to see her movie quote game. DF at Breakfast with Pandora identified #7.  Click here to see his movie quote meme.  Lemur Reflections, a reader, has also done the meme, here.]

We'll start with a really easy one:

1.  "My name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed my father; prepare to die!"  Princess Bride (with Mandy Patinkin), Maryann

2.  "Mediocrities everywhere... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you... I absolve you all."  Amadeus

3.  "Look! I have one job on this lousy ship, it's *stupid*, but I'm gonna do it! Okay? " Galaxy Quest (with Alan Rickman)

4.  "People"? I ain't "people." I am a - "a shimmering, glowing star in the cinema firmament."  Singing in the Rain, Maryann

5.  "I guess that makes you the damsel in distress, huh, handsome?" Enchanted

6.  "Give me an occupation, Miss Dashwood, or I shall run mad." Sense and Sensibility (with Alan Rickman), Maryann

7.  "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!" Casablanca (with Humphrey Bogart), DF

8.  "A tailor's like a doctor, what's to be ashamed?" Yentl (with Mandy Patinkin), Maryann

9 .  "I must confess that I feel somewhat bewildered by what you have just told me. To be born, or at any rate bred in a handbag, whether it have handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life which reminds one of the worst excesses of the French revolution, and I presume you know what that unfortunate movement led to?"  The Importance of Being Earnest (with Colin Firth) - a wonderful version of Oscar Wilde's play.  This line is said by Lady Bracknall, played by Dame Judy Dench (right).

10.  " I don't get married again because I can't find anyone I dislike enough to inflict that kind of torture on." All That Jazz, Maryann

11.  " I can't believe I have a bunch of dead people watching videos in my living room."  Truly, Madly, Deeply (with Alan Rickman)

12.  "Your golf ball, your running board, your car? Is there anything in the world that doesn't belong to you?"  Bringing Up Baby (with Katharine Hepburn, right), one of my favorite comedies

13.  "May I remind you gentlemen that when in doubt, consult the brigand's... handbook!" The Thief and the Cobbler.  This one has wonderful, and very different, animation (see here, and here). 

14.  "Oh, Miss. Oh, have pity, Miss. You don't know what you're doing Miss. I'll perish without a hair of the dog. Oh Miss, it ain't your property."  The African Queen (with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn)  I'm surprised no one knew this one.

15.  "Mother, I do not need a blind date. Particularly not with some verbally incontinent spinster who drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney, and dresses like her mother." Bridget Jones' Diary (with Colin Firth), Maryann

I'm going to add an extra one because that first one was so easy.

16. "I am in a dress, I have gel in my hair, I haven't slept all night, I'm starved, AND I'm armed! Don't MESS with me!"  Miss Congeniality, Maryann

That makes two movies with Mandy Patinkin, two with Katharine Hepburn, two with Colin Firth, two with Humphrey Bogart, and three with Alan Rickman.

If you do the meme on your blog, please post that in the comments so I can come see (play).

A Picture Meme

... from Groovy Mom (who also is an INFJ!).

This meme says to post five photos that "say something about the person you are."  Not too hard (except I added a picture to the fourth one to finish the thought).

My fridge says lots about me.  First of all, it says, "I am not a designer fridge!"  I've got pictures drawn by my kids and pictures of my kids (you can't see most of those), a grocery list with a gardening cat called "Hairy Potter" (thanks!), magnets from special places like the NC and the SC aquariums, Acadia National Park, the Cone Manor on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Mt. Mitchell, pictures of the mountains, local magnets like the Mellow Mushroom and the dance center, and other special things.   My fridge is quite loquacious, actually (more than I am!).

The living room is not as "busy" as the fridge, but says just as much about me.  What do you notice first?  Sunlight!  That's what we designed the room and house for.  We had the house plan set so that the living room would be on the southeastern side and we added the bay window (and another window to the right of it which you can't see).  Does it also say "This is a big empty room so they must not be done decorating?"  NO!  It says, "We've got lots of floor space for playing games, and making designs with pattern blocks, and putting up train sets, and creating worlds, and.... dancing!"  Every house needs a ballroom.  And a kitty.  And a little balloon above the TV which actually has a motor and goes around in little circles when you turn it on (birthday present to me from dear husband).  You can also see the redbud blooming out of the windows on the left.

This picture says that I'm in the middle of a number of music-related projects.  I've got tapes to go through and categorize, CD's to put away, a pile of stuff on top of the stereo cabinet that came out of the cabinet when we got the new receiver and I haven't figured out where to put... and more.  No, the record albums to the right aren't waiting to be put away.  That's where they live.  For some reason, this house wasn't designed with a whole lot of record storage (and it's only a small part of our record collection).

I wanted a whimsical picture, but my stuffed animals didn't want their pictures on the internet.  Instead, here is the most deliberately decorated room in our house.  Deliberately, but not seriously.  The wall is light blue (though it looks off-white here).  The painting is dear husband's "Housecats and Weathervanes" (click here to get a better view, although the colors aren't as vivid online). 

We decided the light blue, and the white cabinet which you can't see to the right, gave the room a "beach-y" feel so we added fish, a crab, a boat (last two not pictured), and the whimsical picture below.

The two ducks on the ledge are from our 20th anniversary trip to Charleston.  We stayed at a really nice Marriott downtown (on credit card points which were really useful.  Usually we stay somewhere less expensive way out of town).  They left a duck on the counter every night - our two went in the bathroom.

Of course, I had to have a garden post.  The front of this bed is right next to a beautiful, tall, tulip tree.  Bulbs do well in it, but other plants don't because the tulip gets all the water.  I'm trying to gradually fill the bed with bulbs.  The far end of the bed fares better, although perennials do better there than annuals.  Besides the fact that I love gardening, this picture also says that I try to work with what is - I don't try to turn flower beds, situations, or people into something they're not. 

A Music Meme

[This NaBloPoMo blogging everyday thing would work better if I weren't exhausted every evening by the time I get a chance to write!]

Music Meme (courtesy of In Repair )

What is the first music album you remember owning?

The Monkees, which I got in elementary school.

If not the same, what is the first music album you purchased for yourself?

 Elton John's Greatest Hits, which I bought in Junior High.

What artist currently occupies the most space either in terms of shelf space or megabytes on your hard drive?

The complete works of Beethoven on record (Thanks to my father-in-law!)

How many different types of music media (vinyl, cassette, CD, etc) have you owned in your lifetime?

Vinyl, cassettes, reel-to-reel tape, CD, .mp3's on the computer.

Who or what has had the biggest effect on your music taste?

That's a hard one.  For classical, my parents and the music department at the NC School of the Arts.  For big band, my father.  For folk, the Fiddle and Bow program which used to be on WFDD radio from Wake Forest and the Back Porch Music program on WUNC from UNC-Chapel Hill.  For Celtic, of course, Fiona Ritchie of the Thistle and Shamrock radio program.

How do you currently prefer to listen to music?

Most often, I listen in the car.  However I prefer to listen at home on the stereo.

In terms of music memorabilia, what is your most prized possession?

No music memorabilia - unless the Playbills from Broadway musicals count.

Have you ever “swapped headsets” with a complete stranger (meaning have you ever unplugged the earphones from your listening device and plugged them into someone else’s player and had them do the same)?

No I-Pod.

Have you ever been completely obsessed with a particular artist? Who and to what level did your fandom go?

I go through obsessions with artists - listening to and finding out about them.  Probably the most unusual one was back when we were getting to know the music of Stan Rogers.  We couldn't find his albums in our part of NC.  When we went to Boston, we bought all of them from a little record store in Harvard Square.  We had to put clothes in our backpacks to carry on the plane so that we could fit the records in our suitcase.

What is the farthest you’ve ever traveled for a concert?

Mary-Chapin Carpenter in Richmond, VA (3 hours from here).  We stopped there for the concert on the way back from visiting my sister and her family in Pennsylvania.

Who have you seen in concert the most?

Maura O'Connell (my concert review here).  James Galway is second.

And I'm going to add:

Performers I would most like to see that I haven't seen yet?

The Indigo Girls.  We've been out of town when they've been here.

Most male-intimidating concert?

Saffire, the Uppity Blues Women

Most anticipated concert?

Dame Cleo Laine.  Here she is singing Stephen Sondheim's "Everybody Says Don't" from the musical, Anyone Can Whistle.

Redone Meme

Yes, another meme.  Remember the meme I got from Rachel Lucas's Blog?  She decided to redo the questions: 

I threatened to make the questions on that meme more interesting, at least to myself. I'd much rather learn about people's flaws, dirty secrets, and psychological problems than their favorite stupid color or what stupid kind of ice cream they like, wouldn't you?

So here is the redone, "Pretend I'm Your Therapist" Meme by Rachel Lucas (with my answers)(Note:  Dear husband is out of town and I'm in a mood):

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? WHAT INSULTING NICKNAMES WERE YOU CALLED IN CHILDHOOD? The nickname I got was based on my last name.  Which I'm not telling you.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?  WHEN YOU CRY, DO YOU LOOK UGLY, OR DOES IT GIVE YOU A BEAUTIFUL SAD GLOW? How should I know?  I'm busy crying - not looking in a mirror.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?  ARE YOU FORGETTING HOW TO WRITE BECAUSE YOU SPEND SO MUCH TIME ON THE COMPUTER? Yes!  I never liked my handwriting.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? DO YOU THINK VEGETARIANS ARE INSANE?  (BECAUSE THEY ARE.)  Ummm...no.  OTOH, I don't have the incentive to become one.  I could feel guilty about being a carnivore - but that would have to take its place in line behind feeling guilty for being a bad Catholic, and feeling guilty for being a bad Episcopalian, and feeling guilty for using fertilizer on the lawn, and feeling guilty for having too many unread magazines - hey, someone could write a song about this!

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?  DO YOU LIKE KIDS?  IF SO, WHY?  WHY, IN THE NAME OF GOD? Amazingly, I have three (whom I like).  When I was a teenager and was babysitting, I swore I'd never have kids. 

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?  IF YOU WERE A DOG,  WOULD YOU LICK YOURSELF JUST BECAUSE YOU COULD?  DON'T TRY TO DENY IT.  Yuck.

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?  ARE YOU AS FRIGHTENED OF CLOWNS AS YOU SHOULD BE IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU?  I've always hated clowns.  They're hiding something.  When there's a clown character that goes bad in a movie, I think that they're finally revealing their true nature.

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? IF YOU COULD BE EITHER VERY BEAUTIFUL OR VERY SMART, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?  I'm selfish so I'd rather be very smart.  Beauty would just be something others would enjoy.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?  HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD YOU REQUIRE TO HAVE INTIMATE RELATIONS WITH MICHAEL MOORE OR ROSIE O'DONNELL (DEPENDING ON YOUR SEXUAL PREFERENCE BUT DOES THAT REALLY MATTER WITH THESE TWO)?  Not for all the tea in China. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CUSS WORD? %*@*$!#

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? IF YOU'RE A MAN, HAVE YOU EVER CAUGHT YOUR JUNK IN YOUR ZIPPER? HOW BAD DID IT HURT? IF YOU'RE A WOMAN, HOW GLAD ARE YOU THAT YOU'RE NOT A MAN? I've never had the Freudian "junk" envy.  Though external plumbing would be useful on long hikes.  But that's about it.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?  DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING TO GROW OLD OR DIE TRAGICALLY YOUNG?  I'm past the point of tragically young.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?  DESCRIBE YOUR MOST RECENT NIGHTMARE.  It was probably one of those where I can't find my locker and haven't been to class in weeks and there's a major test coming up.  Or maybe the one where I have to teach aerobics, everyone is waiting, and all I have with me is folk music.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?  DO YOU WISH THAT, INSTEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DEBATES, THEY INSTEAD HAD TO BOX EACH OTHER, BECAUSE THEN THERE'D NEVER EVER BE ANOTHER DEMOCRAT IN THE WHITE HOUSE? The boxing would be more meaningful than empty words.

RED OR PINK?  ABBA: THE BLONDE OR THE BRUNETTE?  Here's a convenient picture for those who want to do the meme.  As far as the guys are concerned, the fairer haired one on the right looks too much like 70's, teeny-bopper idols like Shaun Cassidy.  So I vote for the darker haired one (and facial hair is always helpful).

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?  ON A SCALE OF 1-10, HOW MUCH DO YOU HATE SHOPPING FOR NEW CLOTHES (10 BEING SO MUCH YOU'D RATHER CLEAN THE CAT BOX WITH YOUR BARE HANDS).  I washed cloth diapers for five years.  The stuff in the cat box is relatively dry - it doesn't faze me at all.  However, I don't totally hate shopping for new clothes so I'll say 9.8.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?  WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE BEFORE THE LAST TIME YOU THREW UP?  How nice.  It's been so many years I don't remember.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? NAME FIVE "CLASSIC" POPULAR SONGS YOU HOPE YOU NEVER HEAR AGAIN AS LONG AS YOU LIVE.

• Disco Duck
• Who Let the Dogs Out
• December 1963 (Oh What a Night)
• Imagine
• and...

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?  IF YOU WERE A DOG, WHICH BREED WOULD YOU BE?  I'm not extroverted enough to be a dog.

FAVORITE SMELLS?  FAVORITE BODILY FUNCTION?  (COUGH, SNEEZE, BELCH, POOP, FART, YAWN, ETC) Yawn.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?  WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU HAD A HUGE FIGHT WITH, WHAT WAS THE FIGHT ABOUT, AND WHO WON? Dear husband, I don't remember what it was about, and I started laughing so no one won.

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?  AS WE ALL KNOW, PRO FOOTBALL IS THE ONLY SPORT WORTH CARING ABOUT. IN LIGHT OF THAT FACT, WHO IS THE BEST NFL QUARTERBACK OF THE LAST 10 YEARS? BEST RUNNING BACK? BEST WIDE RECEIVER? BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER? BIGGEST PRIMA DONNA? WHINIEST BITCH?  ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz....What were we talking about?

HAIR COLOR?  BALD MEN ARE VERY SEXY.  DISCUSS. A picture is worth... (Avery Brooks in Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine) 

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?  DO YOU HAVE PERFECT VISION?  IF SO, RACHEL LUCAS ENVIES YOU WITH THE FIRE OF A THOUSAND GALAXIES. No.

FAVORITE FOOD?  FOOD YOU FIND SO REPUGNANT THAT YOU SIMPLY CANNOT BELIEVE OTHER PEOPLE PUT IT IN THEIR MOUTHS? Yogurt.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?  WHEN YOU GO TO THE MOVIES AND THE J ERK BEHIND YOU KICKS YOUR SEAT CONSTANTLY, DO YOU IGNORE/MOVE OR DO YOU CHALLENGE THEM TO FISTICUFFS? Ignore.

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?  LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED THAT MADE YOU GET ON YOUR KNEES AFTERWARDS AND BEG GOD TO GIVE YOU THE LAST TWO HOURS OF YOUR LIFE BACK? I'm too quick to turn movies off.  Some of the movies I enjoyed in the 70's got turned off pretty quickly recently (like Nine to Five which I turned off at the pot smoking scene). 

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?  DO YOU EVER PUT CLOTHES ON YOUR PETS? No

SUMMER OR WINTER?  BEER, WINE, OR LIQUOR? Wine.

HUGS OR KISSES?  FALL ASLEEP OR CUDDLE? Both.

FAVORITE DESSERT?  FAVORITE FOOD THAT YOU KNOW WILL KILL YOU EVENTUALLY BUT YOU DON'T CARE BECAUSE IT IS JUST SO FREAKING DELICIOUS? Chocolate.

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?   HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SO DISGUSTED BY A BOOK'S ENDING THAT YOU VIOLENTLY DESTROYED THE BOOK? No, but there was a Kate Wilhelm mystery with a totally unnecessary death in it ...

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?   TRUE OR FALSE: "REALITY" T.V. IS THE BEST REASON FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD TO HATE AMERICA. I would say true, but if they watch it, it's their own fault.

FAVORITE SOUND?  FAVORITE DRUNKEN SLATTERN: PARIS, LINDSEY, OR BRITNEY? At least Britney had a song which works well on aerobic CD's. 

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?  WHAT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME YOU GOT DRUNK?  'FESS UP.  I can't get drunk.  I fall asleep after a ridiculously small amount of wine. 

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?  IF YOU COULD HAVE MAD SKILLZ IN DANCING OR IN SINGING, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WOULD IT BE FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL SATISFACTION OR TO IMPRESS OTHER PEOPLE AND POSSIBLY GET SOME ACTION? I've had so much voice trouble that singing is tempting, but I'd choose dancing because it would be fun. 

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?  IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPERPOWER, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WOULD YOU USE IT FOR GOOD OR EVIL?  Time travel.  Good.

WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?  IF YOU NEVER SEE ANOTHER Q&A MEME AGAIN, WILL IT BE TOO SOON?  Some are interesting.