Sunday Stealing on a Thursday (Huh?)
I really like some of the memes you can find on Sunday Stealing so I decided to do this one, but on Thursday instead of Sunday.
I think this particular Sunday Stealing meme, while good, is too darn long; so, I'm only answering my favorite 10 of the 20 questions!
1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
The phone bill, because my husband just flat out refuses to get rid of our land line and it's so annoying to have to pay for it when we could be using our cell phones for everything!
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
PF Chang's, a Chinese restaurant. It was sort of a fluke; our son was camping so we went out to dinner and a movie, but hadn't made reservations so rather than wait forever for a table we chose to eat at the bar.
Now, normally sitting at a busy restaurant bar with the bartender in your face wouldn't seem like it was romantic, but we were sitting next to each other instead of across from each other, and drinking wine, and eating their amazing bass (fish)...and it really was wonderful. This couple sitting next to us asked how long we'd been dating and when we told them we'd been married for 17 years they couldn't believe it!
3. How many colleges did you attend?
Four. Wow! I also took classes at the Fachhochschule in Cologne, Germany, but I was only auditing so I don't think that counts.
4. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Living or dead?
If I had to choose from among the living, I wouldn't want to eat with someone famous. I think I'd like to have dinner with any one of my first three boyfriends from when I was a teenager. I am curious to know how their lives turned out, and to get some perspective.
If dead are included, I'd like to share a meal with Jane Austen, at her house.
5. Ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
Well, I didn't have one on hand when I needed it. When we first moved to this house I seemed to have trouble with the way the burners on the stove were set up differently than on our old stove at our last home, and I would turn on the wrong one frequently.
One time I had a cookie sheet with garlic bread sitting on the stove and accidentally turned on the burner that most of it was sitting on. I was standing at the sink with my back turned when all of a sudden the smoke detectors went off. At about that same instant I smelled smoke, and turned to see the garlic bread on fire. It burned a hole in the cookie sheet! What a mess!
My son was about 6 at the time and he told that story to everyone for a while, always starting out with, "My mommy almost burned down the house."
I have a fire extinguisher mounted on my kitchen wall now. It's little. It's not pretty, but I'm not planning to be without one after that experience. (Yes, I know baking soda works, too. But just the sight of the extinguisher makes me more careful.)
6. Do you have a “go to” person?
This is a tough question to answer. My parents are gone and my best friend (since we were 11 years old) and I are somewhat estranged right now. (But I'm working on that.) I do have my husband!
7. Over the years, what about you do you think has changed the most?
I used to be very shy -- like hide-behind-my-mother's-legs, unable-to-speak-up shy. In first grade I was sent to the speech therapist because they were concerned that maybe I couldn't talk! Not anymore. Now, I find I have no problem with public speaking, walking into a room full of strangers, traveling alone overseas...pouring my heart out online...
8. Looking back at high school were they the best years of your life?
In many ways, yes. I had fantastic high school years, with a circle of close friends that I had a lot of fun with and felt very accepted by. It was a great time of discovery.
9. Who do you think impacted your life the most?
When I was in high school our church had a youth minister, a woman named Renee. When I met her, I was 14 and she was 28. She was a childless professional who taught a bunch of us how to be a team of peer ministers. We would take younger kids on weekend retreats that were hugely successful. For me, they were life changing. She took me under her wing and challenged me to try new things. I think she was the first person who ever told me I could do anything. She influenced me not to be afraid to take, and make, opportunities. I really don't know what my life would've been like if I hadn't met her.
10. What is the scariest thing that has happened to you as an adult?
About 10 years ago, in California, I was the victim of road rage. The guy literally tried to run me into the railing of the highway because he didn't like the way I merged. My son was in the backseat, 2 years old at the time.
I did memorize his license plate and called the CHP when I got home. I spoke to an investigator who did a good job of following up. It turns out the driver had a suspended license so it was a crime for him to even be on the road. Although I wasn't able to charge him with attempted vehicular manslaughter, because I had no witnesses, I did have the satisfaction of knowing he was fined and his suspension was further increased so he would be kept off the roads for at least a while. Very. Scary.
I think this particular Sunday Stealing meme, while good, is too darn long; so, I'm only answering my favorite 10 of the 20 questions!
1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
The phone bill, because my husband just flat out refuses to get rid of our land line and it's so annoying to have to pay for it when we could be using our cell phones for everything!
2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
PF Chang's, a Chinese restaurant. It was sort of a fluke; our son was camping so we went out to dinner and a movie, but hadn't made reservations so rather than wait forever for a table we chose to eat at the bar.
Now, normally sitting at a busy restaurant bar with the bartender in your face wouldn't seem like it was romantic, but we were sitting next to each other instead of across from each other, and drinking wine, and eating their amazing bass (fish)...and it really was wonderful. This couple sitting next to us asked how long we'd been dating and when we told them we'd been married for 17 years they couldn't believe it!
3. How many colleges did you attend?
Four. Wow! I also took classes at the Fachhochschule in Cologne, Germany, but I was only auditing so I don't think that counts.
4. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Living or dead?
If I had to choose from among the living, I wouldn't want to eat with someone famous. I think I'd like to have dinner with any one of my first three boyfriends from when I was a teenager. I am curious to know how their lives turned out, and to get some perspective.
If dead are included, I'd like to share a meal with Jane Austen, at her house.
5. Ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
Well, I didn't have one on hand when I needed it. When we first moved to this house I seemed to have trouble with the way the burners on the stove were set up differently than on our old stove at our last home, and I would turn on the wrong one frequently.
One time I had a cookie sheet with garlic bread sitting on the stove and accidentally turned on the burner that most of it was sitting on. I was standing at the sink with my back turned when all of a sudden the smoke detectors went off. At about that same instant I smelled smoke, and turned to see the garlic bread on fire. It burned a hole in the cookie sheet! What a mess!
My son was about 6 at the time and he told that story to everyone for a while, always starting out with, "My mommy almost burned down the house."
I have a fire extinguisher mounted on my kitchen wall now. It's little. It's not pretty, but I'm not planning to be without one after that experience. (Yes, I know baking soda works, too. But just the sight of the extinguisher makes me more careful.)
6. Do you have a “go to” person?
This is a tough question to answer. My parents are gone and my best friend (since we were 11 years old) and I are somewhat estranged right now. (But I'm working on that.) I do have my husband!
7. Over the years, what about you do you think has changed the most?
I used to be very shy -- like hide-behind-my-mother's-legs, unable-to-speak-up shy. In first grade I was sent to the speech therapist because they were concerned that maybe I couldn't talk! Not anymore. Now, I find I have no problem with public speaking, walking into a room full of strangers, traveling alone overseas...pouring my heart out online...
8. Looking back at high school were they the best years of your life?
In many ways, yes. I had fantastic high school years, with a circle of close friends that I had a lot of fun with and felt very accepted by. It was a great time of discovery.
9. Who do you think impacted your life the most?
When I was in high school our church had a youth minister, a woman named Renee. When I met her, I was 14 and she was 28. She was a childless professional who taught a bunch of us how to be a team of peer ministers. We would take younger kids on weekend retreats that were hugely successful. For me, they were life changing. She took me under her wing and challenged me to try new things. I think she was the first person who ever told me I could do anything. She influenced me not to be afraid to take, and make, opportunities. I really don't know what my life would've been like if I hadn't met her.
10. What is the scariest thing that has happened to you as an adult?
About 10 years ago, in California, I was the victim of road rage. The guy literally tried to run me into the railing of the highway because he didn't like the way I merged. My son was in the backseat, 2 years old at the time.
I did memorize his license plate and called the CHP when I got home. I spoke to an investigator who did a good job of following up. It turns out the driver had a suspended license so it was a crime for him to even be on the road. Although I wasn't able to charge him with attempted vehicular manslaughter, because I had no witnesses, I did have the satisfaction of knowing he was fined and his suspension was further increased so he would be kept off the roads for at least a while. Very. Scary.
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