One of those meme thingies

[altivo]

Ok, I give in, since aerofox, cabcat, and quickcasey all did it:


1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
Real estate taxes, which go for a lot of stuff that is of little benefit to anyone

2. Where's the best place to eat a romantic dinner?
Home, where the bedroom is close at hand

3. Last time you puked from drinking?
Only once ever, after a Halloween party in 1976

4. Have you ever gotten drunk and danced on a bar?
Never

5. Name of your first grade teacher?
Miss Mary Spitler (I think it was Mary, do teachers really have first names?)

6. What are you doing right now?
Avoiding work

7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A horse, or failing that, a cowboy

8. How many colleges did you attend?
Undergraduate: 1 (Michigan State University), Graduate school: 4 (Michigan State University, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, DePaul University, Dominican University)

9. Why did you get the shirt that you have on right now?
Leftover from a friend's garage sale and she gave it to me

10. Gas prices?
$2.97 US nearest to home, $2.91 nearest to work, for a gallon of unleaded regular

11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you where would you go.
Canada, somewhere with lots of open space and suitable for horses, but not Alberta

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
I don't use an alarm, haven't for many years

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
Put book in safe place, turn off light

14. Favorite style of underwear?
None when I can get away with it

15. Favorite style of underwear for the opposite/same sex?
Clean ;p

16. What errand/chore do you despise?
Ironing, laundry, lawn-mowing

17. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer?
Selectively

18. Get up early or sleep in?
I never sleep in, it seems wasteful

19. Breakfast this morning?
Home made bread, scones, juice and coffee

20. Favorite NON sexual thing to do at night with a girl/guy?
Talk, share food, do artsy stuff, walk/hike outdoors

21. A secret that you wouldn't mind everyone knowing.
There are things in my bureau drawers that have been there for over 35 years

22. When did you first start feeling old?
Probably in about first grade, when I was reading books while the other kids fought over the toys

23. Favorite 80's movie?
Maybe Disney's Oliver & Company

24. Your favorite lunch meat?
Hummus with a slice of cheese and maybe lettuce or pickle--yes I know it said meat

25. What do you get every time you go into Costco/Sam's Club?
A headache. Usually if we go into Sam's it's to buy laser printer toner.

26. Beach or Lake?
These are mutually exclusive? Someone needs to visit the Great Lakes.

27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
Weddings are an outdated ritual. Marriage serves a significant and misunderstood purpose in our society.

28. Who do you stalk on MySpace?
I have no use for myspace

29. Favorite guilty pleasure?
Censored

30. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out about?
None I can think of, but I have a lot of favorites that most people would find strange. Like, Son of the Sheik (silent with Rudolph Valentino); The Gold Rush (silent with Charlie Chaplin); Wings (1927 silent); The Desk Set (Hepburn and Tracy); How the West was Won (Cinerama); and Toby Tyler.

31. What's your drink?
Iced tea or red wine

32. Who from high school would you like to run into?
Depends on the circumstances

33. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
WNIU, the FM classical radio station of Northern Illinois University; but I mostly listen to books on CD

34. What's a rumor spread about you?
I don't listen to rumors

35. Futurama or the Simpsons?
I don't watch television

36. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
I got married once for the wrong reasons

37. Do you like the person who sits directly across from you at work?
There's no "across" here. I face a window.

38. If you could get away with it, who would you kill?
No one. But there are quite a few for whom I could think up very appropriate punishments or lessons

39. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Good question. I'd like to talk to Abraham Lincoln, but doubt I'd care for the food he ate. Maybe George Bernard Shaw and I could agree on both the menu and the topics of conversation ;p

41. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended use?
I have never used a fire extinguisher for anything

42. Ever felt like running over a pedestrian?
No, but there have been many drivers I'd like to run over if they got out of their "shells"

Comments

[keeganfox.livejournal.com]

Wow, I don't watch TV either. I might do this quiz later. : )

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Please do, I'm curious. ;D

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

I watch very little television. Mostly to watch Star Trek (I'm a Trekaholic)
or something interesting on the HitlerHistory Channel.

Considering I worked at a TV repair shop most of my life, I've seen my share of mind numbing, intelligence insulting drivel....

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You have an especially valid reason for not watching commercial television drivel. ;p

Television is one of the cleverest electronic inventions of the 20th century, exceeded only by the cell phone, perhaps. Yet what have we done with it? Created a total embarrassment, that's what.

[calydor.livejournal.com]

Considering I worked at a TV repair shop most of my life, I've seen my share of mind numbing, intelligence insulting drivel....

That'd be the customers, right?

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

hehe, yeah, I could say that about many of them :P

It's as if there is nothing to life except Television for some of them. They can't live without their TV! "My gawd, can't you fix it RIGHT NOW?!?!?! What will I do?!?!?!

How about radio? better yet, a good book!

What would these people do if they were suddenly thrust back in time 100 years? *sigh*

Sorry for ranting. I'm much better now that I'm no longer in that business ^_^

[calydor.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, ISP hotlines get the exact same customers, with the exact same line of, "My gawd, can't you fix it RIGHT NOW?!?!?! What will I do?!?!?!"

Only they now tend to add threats to that line. Be glad you got out in time.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not, we get that stuff at libraries too. Sad to say, it isn't people dying to get their hands on the latest best sellers, though. It's usually people trying to get DVDs.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I have the impression that television receivers are no longer "repairable" items and are intended to be thrown away in a landfill and replaced with new. Declining prices and the very impatience you mention here are both factors in that.

I'm never impressed, but rather depressed, when I visit someone's home and find a television in every room, most of them turned on and making noise to an empty room. It's incomprehensible to me.

My stepfather was one who couldn't live without it. If a set failed and he didn't have another on hand, he would go out at any hour of the day or night to buy a new one, right now.

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

Sounds like my mother... She ALWAYS has her televisin going...whether she is watching it or not. If I turn it off, she gets mad at me and says that she listens to it. So I would turn on the radio, but she doesn't like that idea.

We would leave to go to the store, and she would leave it on. Why? So it would entertain the dogs or cats....

*sigh* it has always been a loosing battle between me and her over the television.

I go over to her house... the TV in the kitchen is on one channel...the one in the living room on another. *shakes head*

Oh well, what can i say?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Sounds familiar. Not just older folks, but a lot of younger ones too. Though I notice that particularly the twenty somethings and younger are more likely now to be playing two video games at the same time. *shrugs*

People often ask me how I can possibly do all the things I do. There's always a simple answer. "I don't watch television. At all."

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

Home made bread?

Hmm, do you have one of those breadmaking machines? or do you make it the "old fashioned" way? ^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes.

Yes, we have a breadmaking machine. We've worn out two of them, this is the third. Yes, we make bread in several "old fashioned" ways as well, without the machine. Too much of our refrigerator space is taken up with sourdough cultures, for instance. But the bread is good.

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmm, sounds good ^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Actually, my favorite use for the bread machine is to make dough that I then finish off by hand and bake in the oven. Home made pizza, foccacia, pita breads, and bagels.

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

MMmmm, I hope someday I can try one of your home made pizzas ^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We'd be delighted to have you come for dinner or for a weekend. Loriana too. ;D There are points of interest in the area, as well, not just MFF. The railway museum you've seen me talking about with quickcasey for instance. Elgin used to have an antique radio museum, though I don't know if it's still there. The historical society at Union has some good exhibits, as does the one in Boone County.

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

Yes, Elgin used to have one of the most wonderful, extensive, fascinating antique radio museums ever!

It was the collection of Dr. Ralph Muchow who was a dentist. He had his museum in the same building as his dental office. It was just incredible to see what he had in his museum!

I've been to the museum quite a few times and talked with Dr. Muchow who was a very kind and interesting fellow. Once he took one of his radios apart so I could see the speaker assembly which was missing in the same model radio I had.

Unfortunately, after he passed away, his family sold the entire radio collection at auction. It was very sad. more importantly so as his sons were always at the museum when I visited and were quite knowledgeable and interested in antique radios.

I guess the money the radios brought was more important to them :/

but, yeah, I hope we can visit with you someday ^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I did know that Ralph Muchow had passed away, but didn't know what happened to his collection. That was the year we actually tried to go to the antique radio swapmeet in Elgin, and got hit by a deluge thunderstorm so never made it. We stopped for lunch to wait for the storm to pass and afterward everything was so inundated we figured the whole swapmeet must have shut down so we gave up. ;p

[keeganfox.livejournal.com]

*earperks*
Really? Hmmm...
*plots ways to get delicious fresh bread*
:9

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, really. The only bread I buy is bakery kaiser rolls because I've never been satisfied with the way mine turn out. We have home baked breads all the time here.

Come visit, and we'll help you get fat. ;p

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

What's wrong with Alberta?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's the Canadian equivalent of a red state. ;p

Right wing leadership elected repeatedly, negative attitudes toward gays and women or other minorities, etc.

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

I used to consider myself Republican... No, I certainly DO NOT anymore -_-

[altivo.livejournal.com]

There certainly have been decent, responsible Republicans... though frankly not a single name of an incumbent comes to mind when I say that. In my lifetime, though, I've seen and even voted for some.

On the other hand, I agree with those who said four years ago, for any member of a minority, whether it be gay, female, lower income, black, furry, immigrant, or whatever, to vote for Republican candidates makes about as much sense as for chickens to vote for Colonel Sanders.

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

Okay, valid points. I'm not up on politics, let alone Canadian politics.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Heh. I'll let you off the hook on Canadian politics, but shame you for not being aware of US, Illinois, and local politics.

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

I have written off politics as horribly corrupt. There is no "people's candidate." Any party, any politician, is dirty. I can not change anything. There is manipulation we can't imagine behind the scenes. So I don't bother with it. It would only serve to raise my blood pressure.
I am triple A.
Apolitical
Asexual
Asymmetrical

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I sympathize on the blood pressure issue. But you should be aware that by writing it off you are playing right into the hands of the corruption. That's what they want you to do: ignore them and let them do whatever they want.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Censoring is your favourite guilty pleasure? Well whatever floats your boat I guess.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

*points to a roll of duct tape*

I hear this works pretty good for censoring chatty kitties.

At the moment, anything that floats is of crucial importance here.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Now that's just kinky that is. And why do I get the tape?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

To keep you from proving the old saying, "Curiosity killed the cat," of course.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Well last time it was only severe injuries...