Sunday Stealing: I Have Answers!

Laundry Day Meme

1. Do you know any couples that have been married for a long time? Almost everyone I know has been, or was, married for over a quarter century.
2. What are you tired of people telling you? That I need to move     back to the suburbs.
3. Which type of ice cream do you prefer? You mean flavor? I like vanilla with chocolate sauce or salted caramel. If you mean type, I will always order a chocolate shake, malted preferred.
4. Do you have a little sister? What’s her name? I am still mad at my mom and dad for not giving me a sister. No, I’m not really. I consider my life filled with sisters who happen to not be of blood relation. Maggie, Sue, Cathy, Jen, Liz, Cristina. Sorry if I have forgotten anyone.
5. What was the last movie you watched on TV? Last night, we watched Burnt with Bradley Cooper. It was okay. I like movies about cooking, but I was frustrated with the lack of annunciation. 
6. If the internet wasn’t available, what would you do instead? I am only taking a quick break from what I was just doing, which is reading. Reading is a default function/activity for me. I am reading a short story collection called American Housewives by Helen Ellis, if you were curious. It’s pretty funny.
7. Do you complain a lot? I don’t think so, but you should ask my husband for confirmation.
8. Name a movie that you favorite actor is in? Hmmmmm. I don’t have a current favorite. Sorry, Tatum.
9. Do you like your toes? I like them better when they are painted, which they are now. The color is “Lincoln Park After Dark”. It is a purple so deep it is almost black. It’s my winter color. But do I really like them? Eh, they are a little chubby.
10. Would you rather go to an authentic haunted house or an ancient temple? Oh, I hate haunted houses! I would have horrible dreams for years. I can’t stand things jumping out at me. I LOVE ancient temples (I was in Nepal eleven months ago and was fortunate to see fifty or more!)
11. Have you ever had champagne? Did you like it? I love champagne. I almost bought a tee-shirt at Christmastime that said “Champagne and Spaghetti”. That kind of sums me up!
12. Are there any seashells in your room? Definitely. I pick them up whenever I can. Rocks, too.
13. What was the reason for the last time you went outside? I went to yoga this afternoon.
14. Do you like fruity or minty gum? Minty. Fresh breath is important.
15. Are you looking forward to any day of this month? YES! I am very much looking forward to February 11th!!! My hubby is taking me somewhere and I have no idea where. My only clues are some Christmas gifts including two rain ponchos, an umbrella, and a wireless and waterproof speaker. Sounds like I am going to get wet. Better not be cold and wet.
16. What was the last graduation you attended? My daughter’s college graduation.
17. Do you rummage throughout he $5 movie bin at Walmart? Um, always.
18. What day of the week do you usually do laundry? Everyday. I do a load a day.
19. Do you like using air fresheners? Where the heck did this question come from? Are candles included? I burn them a lot. Citrus or clean linen are my favorite scents.
20. Are you nails ever painted red? Yes, during the holiday season, but a very deep and dark shade.
21. When you were a baby, did you have a favorite blanket? I am not aware.
22. Ever been on a cruise? Three.
23. Would your rather go to Alaska or Russia? Mine may be an unpopular answer.
24. Strawberries or bananas? Love both, with chocolate all the better. Forced to choose? Strawberries.
25. Are you wearing socks? Right now, no. I rarely wear them no matter the season.
26. When was the last time you went to the mall? A couple of weeks. I am not much of a store shopper.

Do You Hide Your Journal?

I miss journaling.

I used to journal daily for a long, long time. It felt fantastic, not only the physical aspect of putting words to paper but the "let it all hang out", purging part was even better. A release.

I have three beautiful journals. An old one, which is made of green, tooled leather with gold page ends that I carried in my purse forever. A red leather, feels like butter, one my daughter bought for me in Italy a few years back during her first backpacking trip to Europe, which I have used to document my travels. And a beautiful brown leather book that my sister-in-law thoughfully gave me for Christmas because she knows I love to write, and we are repairing a very damaged relationship.

My question to all of you is this:

Where do you keep your journal?

I want to be able to write without hesitation, unedited, freely, without worry, and I feel as if I can't because I am internally blocked by the thought that someone, anyone, will read it. Now, in this household, we do respect each others' privacy (mail, emails, texts, etc..), but something inside me still cautions, "Watch out! Fictional tales may be thought of as truth. Poems may be misinterpreted. Perceptions or memories of real life events may not be shared by others involved."

I talked about this very thing with my boss at work just yesterday. She journals too, and feels likewise about the benefits of journaling as a way to express creativity, record thoughts and feeling, and sort through life's many curveballs. Her suggestion to me was to write then feed the pages through a paper shredder. Immediately!

I can't do that! I need to go back, at some point, and re-read my words and review and ponder my feelings.

Therefore, I am left with the realization that hiding it/them is my only real option. It's all in my head, I know.

So enquiring minds want to know this:  Do you journal? If so, where do you keep them and do you worry or care if anyone reads your entries?

A Quick and Dirty Fifteen (Questions on a Sunday)

Here is a quick and dirty Sunday Stealing where the questions are plentiful and the answers sometimes nonsensical. Of course, I should be packing, or outside at least as it is a beautiful day. This first, then that!

1.    You have been awarded the time off from work and an all-expenses paid week anywhere in the United States. The catch is that it must be somewhere you have not been before. Where do you choose to visit?  This is hard. I had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the country for my job once-upon-a-time ago, and most of my travel desires are for destinations far and away. Sonoma County, California. I have been to Napa, but friends rave about Sonoma. And I love wine. More on this below.

2.    Name your guilty pleasure. Wine. Chocolate. Wine and chocolate at     the same time. Secrets. Wine and chocolates and secrets all at the same time.

3.    The best kind of milkshake is: I have two favorites. The first choice is always chocolate malt. A close second is root beer. And one of my favorite things to do is have a shake for lunch.

4.    What do you value most in people? Honesty, the ability to dig beneath the surface, and a non-judgmental nature, passion, sense of humor, compassion. Was I to pick just one? Impossible.

5.    Be honest. Do you sneak some raw cookie dough when you’re baking cookies? I ONLY bake cookies so that I can eat raw dough first. My sole preference for dough is chocolate chip. I like brownie batter, too.

6.    Have you ever looked back at your life and realized that something you thought was a bad thing was actually a blessing in disguise? No, not really. The truly bad things I have done are things I would not do again.

7.    What is the most beautiful place you have ever visited? In the U.S. of A., it is Telluride, CO and its gorgeous box canyon. Abroad, hands down, it is Positano, Italy (actually, the entire Amalfi Coast) with Lake Como framed by the Alps as a back up choice.

8.    Are you more of a thinker or feeler? This is hard because I spend much of my day deep in thought. The more I think, the more I feel. Sometimes to the point that thinking and/or feeling hurts. I guess, I am more of a thinker, but my decisions are usually made by gut feelings first.

9.    Have you ever participated in a three-legged-race? Yes, at a State Farm’s annual picnic back when I was in my early twenties.

10.         Name three things you are thankful for right now. My health because I may soon lose a friend, my family although we are imperfect but close, the quality of the friends who share my life.

11.         When you are at an event that plays the National Anthem, do you place your hand over your heart? Always. And my gaze is to the flag.

12.         Have you ever been on the wrong side of the law? Yes, once time in college. The circumstances were such that I was called down to the police station in the middle of the night. I was luckily let off the hook without incident. If the same course of events happened today, I would have spent the night in jail.

13.         When was the last time you intentionally surprised someone else? Yesterday, I surprised someone else when an explicative accidentally slipped from my lips. Surprised myself at the same time. Not that I don’t swear. I do. It was the timing of such that was surprising.

14.         When was the last time you deliberately surprised someone else? I can’t remember a specific time off the top of my head. SAD! Although, I do sneak sneak up on one of my closest friends often and give her a little love pinch and she usually screams.

15.         What is the last really funny movie you watched? I have not seen a movie in a long while. Again, SAD! I have been looking for a good side splitting movie to rent, or book to read (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was my last hilarious read, or Quesadillas). Any suggestions? But this is hilarious...

Sunday Stealing: Answering 19 Fluffy Questions

I simply did not feel like coming up with anything to write today. I am far too crazy busy to think straight, but also felt like putting something down in this space. Plus, I am not very good or eloquent talking about myself (I hate it), so this could be considered an exercise of sorts. Therefore, I am playing along with this meme, which I haven’t done since I started blogging two and a half years ago. Some people I read call it a “fluff” post. I am okay with fluff.

You can find the origin of this meme here. It is called Sunday Stealing. And here are this week’s 19 questions:

Where would you retire to?  I would retire to a Caribbean island for winters, and spend summers at the lake. Not sure which one though, but a sailboat in the Caribbean would be the best of all worlds for me.

What are your best physical features? Definitely my eyes (Very light blue, so light that it is difficult for me to be out in the sun without shades), and my legs, which are more than half the length of my body (hip bones to feet).

What are your best characteristics? I believe I am very nice to everyone; doesn’t matter who you are. I am an intensely good listener. I am non-judgemental. People who are looking to have some fun usually call me.

What kind of books do you like to read? I like fiction. I also like books with a little meat on their bones, not just a light and fluffy read. Ideally, I would like something philosophical, at least a little, on which to chew.

What are you reading now? I am reading The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman, and I am really liking it. Also, I am listening to All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. I’ve been on a bit of a McCarthy kick here recently.

Where would you want to retire to? I swear I just answered this…

What is your favorite time of day? I love mornings, so fresh and new, and the hour right before I go to bed.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in a suburb of Chicago called Elmhurst. It was quiet and family oriented. My grandmother’s sisters (my great aunts) lived on either side of me, yet I was still able to get into trouble without being caught. I wasn’t closely watched.

How far away from your birthplace do you live now? I could walk to the southwest corner of Elmhurst right now if I wanted. It is about six-ish miles away from where I sit.

Are you a morning person or a night owl? I am both. I love seeing a sunrise, but don’t often enough. I’m a chipper morning person usually waking up in a good mood ready to start the day, but I prefer my mornings to be very solitary for the first hour or so. But I also love to read into the wee hours, which then makes seeing that sunrise more challenging. I’m tired most of the time.

What inspires you? Books and people, but not in that order.

Can you close your eyes and raise your eyebrows? Are there really people out there who can’t?

Do you have pets? I have a very large chocolate Lab. She’s six but still acts like a gregarious, and sometimes naughty, puppy. I swear she’s trained.

How many rings before you answer your phone? Something about a ringing phone gets under my skin. I don’t ever answer the “home” phone. Really. It never fails to be a solicitor. When we move, we will not install another landline. I don’t even look at the Caller I.D. I do answer my cell phone. How many rings depends on who it is, and how I am feeling at the time. I usually pick up quickly, but my phone is always set to vibrate so I don’t always catch it. 

What are some of the different jobs that you have had in your life? I have worked since I was fifteen years old. Some highlights are working security at Carson Pirie Scott, the snack shop/golf cart shack at my university’s course, counting the weekly collections at my church. As an “adult”, I was always in technology sales.

My current job is really fun. I work at the Shedd Aquarium along the lakefront in Chicago. I am one of the divers. My current assignment is maintaining tanks in the Amazon Rising exhibit. There are some big A$$, prehistoric looking fish in there, as well as huge turtles (who thinking I have food), fresh water stingrays, and PIRANHAS.

Any new and exciting things that you would like to share? Can’t think of anything. I am fully consumed with putting my house on the market and moving to the city.

What is most important in life? Having the people you love, love you back. Living life in such a way that you can sleep at night.

Did you dream last night? I dream every single night. So yes I did. It involved a dog that barked incessantly, and I remember being very annoyed. It wasn’t my best dream ;-).

Do you remember your dreams? Yes, I remember just about every single one, at least immediately after having them. The slip my mind quickly if I don’t write them down, which I used to do but do not not do currently.

Hey, feel free to ask me a question. I will (probably) answer close to anything.

This was really fun!!!