Manic Monday #151

Today's questions from Manic Monday:

What do you do to make yourself feel better when you are sick?
Wear soft, comfy clothing. My wooly slippers. A pot of hot tea. Watch old movies. Sit in a comfortable chair. Knit.

What is the most amazing weather you've ever seen?
We're having interesting weather right now -- lots of snow and very cold temperatures. We live in a tornado area and I've seen edges of a tornado -- amazing and scary in its power and randomness.

Do you listen to music or talk radio in the car?
I mostly listen to NPR, but just got a new car* (a few months ago) with a CD player. So I'm really enjoying listening to CDs too!

*a cute little red (the color of our Staccato wine) 2009 Saturn Vue hybrid. I love it!

Manic Monday #144

It's "Cyber Monday" today, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States. Do you do much online shopping, holiday or otherwise?

I'm completely addicted to online shopping. I'm such a fan of creature comforts -- I'd much rather do my shopping in my slippers (my favorites are pictured) with a cup of tea. And, honestly, I'm not a fan of crowds... or that nasty lighting you find in many stores. The exception, of course, is local and/or fresh stuff.

Are you a Mac or a PC user? Why?

PC. I really haven't had a choice. I've always had PCs at work (mostly not my decision) and needed to move work back and forth. And years ago, there wasn't an easy way to do it between a Mac and a PC.

What website do you spend more time on than you care to admit?

Etsy. Flickr. Ravelry. Between those three I've spent waaaay too many hours of my life!

Manic Monday #143

Do you ever talk to yourself out loud? What do you talk about?
Sadly, all the time. I talk to myself in the car and occasionally find that I'm talking to myself in shops. Generally I just make observations out loud rather than keeping them in my head... (although I usually say them quietly)

What stresses you out?
Problems that I can't fix. Things that aren't working properly that I can't control. Short deadlines for something that won't be done in time. Lately I find that I get stress headaches quite easily. If I'm under deep stress, you can be guaranteed that I'll have a stress headache. It's quite different from my usual headaches (sinus related). It feels like a clamp tightening around my head, and sometimes at the back of my neck. What a lovely thing to develop.... sheesh!

What are your secret talents?
Cooking. Organization. Taking charge of things and seeing them through to completion.

I'm not sure these are secrets. I guess it depends on what part of my life you know me from whether they're a secret or not.

Manic Monday #142

Do you believe people are basically good?
Yes. Although, sadly, I do believe that there are a few people who are fundamentally evil.

If you could change the custom of shaking hands, what would you replace it with?Hugs. I grew up in a household without much hugging. I wish I was better at hugging without having to think about it. ........Or how about spontaneous homemade cookie exchanges? :) (The world would probably be a much happier place!)

What is something that you enjoy that is a chore for most other people? Weeding. I love to weed the garden... although I often don't have enough time to keep it up-to-date. I love the look of a freshly weeded bed.

Manic Monday #137

What is one thing you admire about each of your parents?
I admire my mother's energy and my father's passion for things he enjoys.

Which parts of your home do you like best?
I absolutely adore my home. But my kitchen is probably my favorite part. It is centered around a wonderful stove -- rescued by my builder from a restaurant that went out of business. The backsplash above it is patchworked with tiles from Pewabic Pottery. The cabinets are solid cherry, Amish-made in Shipshewanna (and less expensive than ones from a big box retailer). The floors are cork -- great on your feet. The countertops around the outside are lovely green/grey/black granite. The countertop on the island is locally made maple butcher block. And I collected the knobs on the drawers for years before I had this kitchen. They're all vintage bakelite knobs and drawer pulls.

My collection of Fiestaware peeks out from behind glass-fronted cabinets and adds my favorite colors to the kitchen.

Can you tell how much I love it all?

Which would you prefer and why? To have every stoplight turn green upon your arrival for the rest of your life or to have one week of the best sex any person ever had?
Hmmmm, I'm going to have to think about that for a while... :)

Manic Monday (I finally got the day right!)

Manic Monday #136

What is the most useful gift you’ve ever been given?

The year Santa Claus brought me a piccolo was certainly the highlight of my gift-getting. Useful? I guess so. If I were to pick a gift solely on the "useful" criteria, I would probably pick knitting needles. Completely useful!

Name the most terrifying moment of your life so far.

This is difficult because I tend to forget unpleasant things once they're behind me.

1) The day Bob and I found our next-door apartment neighbor in a drug/alcohol-induced coma. Calling 911 was just like in a dream -- my voice didn't work well and it all seemed to be in slow motion. The trickiest part was the blizzard raging outside. It took 6 people to raise the stretcher above the 18 inches or so of snow on the ground.

2) Ok, I'm a wuss. Millennium Force at Cedar Point. This roller coaster goes 310 feet in the air with speeds up to 92 mph. 92mph in a little car with no protection! The teenagers I was with wanted everyone to ride it together. I figured I'd be a good sport.

I though perhaps I might die of a heart attack while riding...

One hot summer afternoon, while walking through a parking lot at a large shopping center, you notice a dog suffering badly from the heat inside a locked car. What would you do?

1) See if the car was locked.

2) Stay with the car while someone else alerted mall officials to get them to page the owner over the loudspeaker.

3) Call 911 if the owner wasn't found quickly.

Manic, And Belated, Monday

If you could choose only two movies to watch ever again, what would they be?
Difficult question. "Love Actually," for sure. Charming, funny, sad... great actors. A second one, hmmmmm.... it's hard to pin down the last movie I'll ever see. Will I get tired of it? "Young Frankenstein," perhaps?

What have you found to be the best way to relieve tension?
Time alone. Hot tea. A hot bath. Knitting. Sitting with a cat on my lap. Hugging Winston.

If you went to a beach and it turned out to be a nude beach, would you stay and go swimming? Would you swim nude?
I would stay. I don't always swim when I go to the beach, but might. But, no, I would not go nude. Eeeek!

Manic Monday #132

I know it's Wednesday... but isn't it better that I post than not? :)

If you were to name the one thing you have the most compassion for, what would it be?
Animals. Just to let you know, it's really hard to pick just one thing.

It's been said that, "The best things in life are free." Do you think this is true?
Yes. It certainly helps to have some money for basics and a few luxuries, but love, friendship, nature... all those things are free.

What is the most valuable thing you own?
My home.

Manic Monday (er, Tuesday)

I know -- it's not Monday. But I liked these questions and figured I'd post anyway.

Manic Monday #128

Using no more than 10 nouns, and ONLY nouns, describe yourself.
Mother, nurturer, artist, leader, female, cook, gardener, sister, friend...
(That was more difficult than I thought it would be -- I kept wanting to use adjectives.)

If you owned your own store, what would you sell?
I already do... I sell my sister's wonderful wine.

If you were to name the most comforting thing for you to hold in your hands, what would it be?
A hot cup of tea.