I have to thank Clarity25 for providing me with something to post in my diary. I am desperate to post something, and she always seems to find the most interesting "quizzes." I know she was probably dismayed by a certain deeply held opinion I shared recently, but she's a pretty classy person and probably won't remain dismayed for too long.
1) What's your middle name? Jay 2)
School bully you can't forget: There were quite a few obnoxious kids in the schools I attended (between kindergarten and 12th grade), but none that I thought of as bullies. Since I was really never part of the popular crowd (except maybe as a senior), that’s quite a positive endorsement of my home county in South Dakota. The only real bully I ever encountered was an adult who had never grown up (ironically, in my home county). I was an adult at the time, too.
3) Were you prom queen or king? No, but I was chosen as “King of Grub Day” (Halloween) in 8th grade. I tied for that honor with one of my best friends. :-)
4) Pancakes or waffles? No preference. I like both. What’s the difference between them? My absolute favorite is French toast.
5) First celebrity crush? Jane Seymour
6) Make up: Joan Collins or Christie Brinkley? I probably shouldn’t be taking this quiz. Right?
7) Do you now or have you ever owned a pair of Jordache jeans? Do they make those for men?
8) Ever won an athletic competition? A real one? No.
9) New York or San Francisco? Neither.
10) Plaid or paisley? I don’t know what paisley is, but if it is in the same sentence with plaid then, “Yuck!” to both.
11) Can you cook? What's your specialty? Yes, I can cook. A bit of bragging here: For a few months, I was a cook in a café (attached to my dad’s bar) and got compliments from ranchers on how well I cooked their steaks and hamburgers. Cattle ranchers are notorious for wanting their steaks “just so.” Little did they know, I had never cooked much of anything in my life before that time, certainly no steaks, and very few hamburgers either. In fact, I hated steaks at the time and am still not overly fond of them.
My specialty is a certain type of French fries in which the potato is first boiled and then fried to a perfect golden brown. If taken out a minute too early or too late, I consider the batch a failure.
12) Do you shave above the knee? The person who wrote this survey should really try to keep in mind that there are a few men who write at DiaryLand. That being said, I only shave below the knees... ;-)
13) Michael Jackson: disturbed predator or grossly misunderstood? Probably both, but certainly an unbelievably stupid fool who opens himself up to opportunistic con artists.
14) Prominent movie from your childhood? “Gandhi” and one or three others that I cannot think of at the moment.
15) In an ideal world, I would look like... to be able to tolerate a mindless, 9-to-5, boring, unimaginative career.
16) Thank God I do NOT look like... “Reality TV.”
17) My secret passion is... I’ve always worn my passions on my sleeve.
18) My archenemy is... I don’t know if “archenemy” is the right term, but there are two people who come close: The unqualified, incompetent, unintelligent and corrupt superintendent and business manager at the school where I used to work. They have, without the slightest bit of conscience, played with and ruined people’s lives and careers for their own personal pleasure and advancement. In a bigger pond, these two losers would not be tiny fish; they would be plankton.
19) If I had to lose one of my senses it would be... Taste. Nothing tastes that great to me anymore anyway, and I would certainly eat a lot less junk food.
20) This quiz? Is not too easy to flunk.
This survey was snagged from Clarity25.
LAST PERSON WHO...
Slept in your bed: Me :-(
Saw you cry: Probably one of my parents when I was a kid. I am irrationally stubborn about hiding that side of myself.
Made you cry: My Iranian soul mate.
Spent the night at your house: I cannot remember (which probably speaks volumes, doesn’ it?). As for the few girlfriends I’ve had, I mostly spent the nights at their houses.
You went to the mall with: Fellow educators/friends during a technology conference in Omaha, Nebraska.
Yelled at you: My aunt, two and a half months ago, during a scene in which she pretended to kick me out of her house.
Sent you an e-mail: A woman friend who wants my advice on which type of Macintosh laptop to buy for her daughter. This daughter (very beautiful, I might add) will be transferring from the University of Nebraska to Boston University this fall. In between, she will be spending time in London, England.
HAVE YOU EVER...
Said "I love you" and meant it? Absolutely.
Gotten in a fight w/your dog/cat/bird/fish,etc.? Very strange way of phrasing it. That implies they fought back. But the point is moot. I’ve spoiled my cats so badly that they cannot even comprehend the concept of punishment. I was a bit more strict with previous pets.
Been to New York? Yes, but I don’t remember it. I was only four months old and on my way from Heidelberg, Germany, where I was born, to my mom’s old home in Missouri (and eventually back to my dad’s old home in South Dakota).
California? Yes, three times. Twice to the Los Angeles area to visit relatives and once to San Diego (Coronado) to interview a World War II veteran who had been a prisoner of the Japanese.
Hawaii? No
Mexico? No
China? No
Canada? No, but I’ve lived in Montana, which borders Canada.
Danced naked? I may have. If I did, it didn’t stick in my memory.
Dreamed something really crazy and then it happened the next day? I have had vague impressions of such dreams once or twice. In fifth grade, though, I was standing on the sidewalk beside the school building waiting for the bus to arrive to take me home. I thought to myself, “If I jump over that long, narrow puddle of water that borders the sidewalk, I bet that kid standing there will grab my arm and cause me to turn sideways in midair and fall face down in that puddle, getting me wet from head to toe. The odds of it happening exactly like that were practically zero; so I jumped, and it happened exactly like that.
Wish you were the opposite sex? Just long enough to see if what they say about a woman’s “level of pleasure” is true. :-)
Had an imaginary friend? No
RANDOM...
Red or blue? Both, actually.
Spring or fall? Fall, but by a slim margin.
Are you bored? Yes, and for so many years that I am now totally numb to it.
Last noise you heard? Me laughing at my answer to the “opposite sex” question above.
Last time you went out of the state/province: Two and a half months ago.
What book are you reading now? "Love and Sleep” by John Crowley. Regrettably, it doesn’t rise to the level of a literary masterpiece, the way his novel “Little, Big” does (see my profile page). The latter novel has had more influence on my writing style (fiction writing) and view of reality than any has any other novel.
Worst feeling in the world: Being trapped in a life you hate by circumstances beyond your control
What is the first thing you think when you wake in the morning? "Oh, God! Not this consciousness thing again!”
How many rings before you answer the phone? Without caller ID, no more than one ring (I hate ringing phones). With caller ID, no more than two (just long enough for the caller ID to register a name).
Future daughter's name: Christina, Josie, Katie (names of three of my great-great aunts), plus a certain name I discovered since joining DiaryLand. I also like “Rhiannon” (the title of a Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac song), but that might be a bit too strange to give to a kid in this day and age. There was also a beautiful girl in my school with the name “Sateera.” I’ve always loved that name
Future son's name: I don’t know.
Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? No. I doubt I even did this as a child.
If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? There are several. Historical researcher, private detective (not the fictional kind on TV), photographer/videographer, writer, Macintosh salesman, etc.
Are you a lefty, righty or ambidextrous? Lefty and semi-ambidextrous. I broke my left arm in 6th grade and again in 8th grade. I broke my left thumb in college. I, therefore, had to learn how to write with my right hand on three different occasions.
Do you type with your fingers on the right keys? Yes. When I’m at the top of my game, I can type 40 words per minute.
What's under your bed? Nothing anymore. Just three or four days ago, I traded my bed with the one in the spare bedroom. Prior to that time, there were two or three empty boxes and two others filled with “heirlooms” that somehow were not put back in the closet after a cleaning binge
Location: Western Nebraska.
College plans: Only as a potential employee, never again as a student.
Do you do drugs? No way, although one DiaryLander’s recent experience with a certain “fungi” was somewhat intriguing.
Do you drink? Yes way.
Who is your best friend? No one anymore, and, outside of being single, that is about the most unpleasant part of life for me. As I was growing up, best friends were what life was all about (along with girls). What has happened since then? One of my best friends turned into a college basketball star, and suddenly I wasn’t good enough for him anymore (we had been almost inseparable up to that time). Another best friend married a less-than-stellar woman who doesn’t like me (I think because I always feigned ignorance when her present husband -- my old best friend -- tried to set us up together -- he always did this as a joke). Prior to their marriage, I never knew that he liked her; therefore, I never hesitated to let him know that I did not like her. He never forgot this. In addition, he is scared to death to anger her, so he has basically forgotten me. My last best friend abandoned me just as he had abandoned all of his previous best friends -- without rhyme or reason. I always told him he would probably do it to me too some day, although I didn’t really believe it, and he also denied it (he has a heck of an inferiority complex). The loss of so many best friends can cause a person to think there is something wrong with him. This has made me very hesitant to let anyone else fit the roll of best friend (that female coworker I mentioned in a previous entry would have been an exception). A number of my new friends since then have been really annoyed at me (even offended) because I seldom ever made first contact with them (which is certainly unlike the old me)
Other great friends? Eh?
What kind of shampoo and conditioner do you use? Aussie.
What are you most scared of? Being on the outside, looking in (for the rest of my life), and getting old.
What clothes do you sleep in? Either my underwear, or nothing.
Who is the last person who called you? My cousin “Jill” just a few hours ago.
Who do you really hate? Hate requires too much work and is far too negative, but I have a great animosity toward the superintendent and business manager I mentioned earlier. I refuse to say, even in the most generic terms, who else comes close to being hated, but, suffice it to say, he is solely responsible for the intolerable burden that I endured for the past two and a half years (which finally ended just one month ago).
Favorite number: 13 (just cuz :-).
Are you timely or always late? Always early or else precisely on time (and I don’t even have to try; I just have a heck of an internal clock, as well as a strong “time” ethic; neither of which has helped me in this life, though). Do you have a job? No, but I’m working on it.
Do you like being around people? It depends on who they are. If they are the right people, then they will have a hard time getting rid of me :-). But I hate being in crowds of anonymous people or generic acquaintances.
Best feeling in the world: It’s been so long...
Are you for world peace? Well, duh.
STUFF... Have you ever loved someone you had no chance with? About every other week.
Have you ever cried over something someone of the opposite sex did? Only twice, and the Iranian was the culprit both times; once when she showed a particularly mean-spirited side of herself that I did not know existed and then again a few weeks later, when she left me at the request of her family.
Do you have a "type" of person you always go after? Appearance-wise: I was once told by a Scandinavian blonde coworker (in a somewhat frustrated tone) that I seemed only to be attracted to dark-haired women. Until she said that, I had never thought about it before. And she was right (probably thanks to the Iranian). It is no longer true that I am attracted only to dark-haired women, at least not entirely. Personality-wise: I am attracted to warm-hearted women who have a sincere smile. Pretty generic.
Ever liked a close guy/girlfriend? By this I presume you mean, “Have I ever had feelings for a close girlfriend?” Why, yes I have. She is mentioned in my last entry.
Are you lonely right now? Yep. Perpetually. In fact, I’m even lonely when I am among casual friends, because I want more than casual friendship...
Ever afraid you'll never get married? Yes, with every waking moment.
Do you want to get married? As the friend who married the less-than-stellar woman once said, putting words in my mouth because I couldn’t find them: “You would at least like to have the opportunity to say, ‘No’ to marriage. Right?” To which I replied, “Right!”
Do you want kids? More so in the past than I do now, but the genealogist in me always thinks about it.
FAVORITE...
Room in house: None. I am very tired of this house.
Type(s) of music: Everything but (c)Rap/Hip Hop, country, and pretentious, stereotypical alternative rock.
Song: Far too many, several of which I’ve named in a previous entry, but I am really taken with one I heard on “Grey’s Anotomy” two weeks ago: “David” by Nellie McKay (2003). That show simply has excellent soundtracks. Two reviews of Nellie McKay follow this survey.
Memory: There are so many different kinds of favorite memories, and I have a few scattered here and there, but none stand out above the others at this particular moment. I’ll think about it and get back to you. You are welcome to remind me if I forget.
Day of the week: None in particular.
Color: Blue. I was once told by an 8th-grade girl (in the school where I worked) that I wore too many blue shirts. I had only recently realized that fact myself and was dismayed and embarrassed when she confirmed that it wasn’t the only one who noticed. I wore far less blue after that.
Perfume or cologne: A very, very distinctive and hypnotic perfume, the name of which I do not remember. I’ve only smelled it on two different women in my life, the Iranian and some woman who had just left a room shortly before I entered it (which gave me a start, like you cannot imagine, since I thought I was going to run into the Iranian after having lost her a year or so earlier).
Month: Probably July, because it is the farthest away from school on either side (I took note of this when I was a student and also when I was a school employee, probably more so when I was a school employee).
Season: Summer and Fall
Holiday: None, in particular.
IN THE LAST 48 HOURS, HAVE YOU...
Cried: No
Bought something: No
Gotten sick: No
Sang: No
Said I love you: In absentia.
Wanted to tell someone you loved them: Yes
Met someone new: No
Moved on: I am in perpetual motion.
Had sex with someone: :-(
Had a serious talk: Yes
Missed someone: Yes
Hugged someone: No
Kissed someone: No
Fought with your parents: I had a “spirited disagreement” with my mom.
Dreamed about someone you can't be with: I don’ know. Maybe.
Had a lot of sleep: Yes
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The following rave reviews of Nellie McKay are just two among many at Amazon.com:
April 22, 2004 - Reviewer: A music fan “This kid is utterly amazing. She'd have been a success as a songwriter, a singer, a pianist, a lyricist, or an arranger. As it stands, she's all of that combined. Her piano lounge pieces have been polished and re-arranged for this album. But why on earth is there a clean version? No one interested in her energy, wit, sarcasm, humor, and irony would want to get this. Get the regular (‘explicit!’) version instead.”
April 14, 2004 - Reviewer: Kitchen Guy "BB" (Prior Lake, MN, USA) “Nellie McKay is brilliant. No 19 year old should have this much polish and verve. Her music--all original--is extremely strong and diverse (show tunes to rap), and she sells everything with a brassy gusto that is amazing to behold. I recommend this set to all my friends, and if Nellie sells worldwide the way she's selling in Minnesota, she'll have a long and rewarding career. What a talent!”
