Friday Feast #147

Appetizer What do you consider to be the ultimate snack food?

You mean I have to pick just one? I need something that is both sweet and salty, so I'll say something like these Chocolate Chex Caramel Corn Bars. There is a recipe up for them, in case they look as good to you as they do to me.

Soup

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), about how popular is your last name?

My married name isn't all that popular. I'd say about a 3. My maiden name was everywhere so I'd give that a 9. There was even someone in my city as a kid with the same first and last name as me.

Salad

Who is your all-time favorite sitcom character, and why?

Good question. There have been so many good shows. I guess it would have to be Frank Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond. His dry sense of humor was always perfect to me. I just watched one of those funniest tv moments shows recently and they showed the scene where Marie backs the car into Ray's living room. She says that she had to drive because Frank can't see too well anymore and he replies that at least he can see a house. Classic.

Main Course

Do you shop online? If so, name some sites you like to browse for goodies.

I shop online, although less often than I used to. Christmas shopping still gets 90% done online though. I can't deal with the malls then. I'm addicted to Amazon. I also like to browse on Ebay, Red Envelope, and even Drugstore.com for some of those hard to find products. I've been haunting the Apple store and Dell lately because I want a laptop. Badly.

Dessert

Fill in the blank: I think Friday should be part of the weekend.

Friday Fiver

1. Are you attracted to the naughty or the nice? That would depend on my mood :wink: Although it seems that my moods tend to lead me into trouble.

2. Do you let your dirty laundry pile up? Family has been helping out with the laundry the past few years since they have a w/d and I don't so it piles up for a week and then gets sent out to them. When I was doing it myself, I did it about once a week to week and a half. Or whenever I could get my hands on enough quarters to do it.

3. What's the last excuse you made? Probably that I was 'stuck' somewhere due to car trouble when I just wanted to play hooky from work.

4. Do you play it safe or do you take risks? I pretty much in the middle of the road on that one. I take a few calculated risks with some things, gamble a bit when I go to the casinos, and play it pretty safe when it comes to everything else.

5. Friday fill-in:Let's go to the pool and go swimming. It is going to be 90 and nice out most of today. I wish I could be out in the sun, rather in the office freezing in the over airconditioned office. Maybe tomorrow.

Friday Fun

Which would be your idea of fun,…?

1. A mani/pedi or mountain biking? mani/pedi and massage too please.

2. A day at the beach or a day on the slopes? The beach! I HATE the cold.

3. Dinner at a 5 star restaurant or homecooking at a diner? 5 star all the way

4. Coffee and a good book at a coffee shop or a cold drink and a good book in the park? Either would be nice depending on the weather, but I'd prefer to go to the park.

5. Musical theater a là Broadway or a movie in the theater? Broadway

6. An evening at the opera or a rock concert? Rock concert. I'm not that cultured.

7. Manilow or Metallica? Metallica - I've always been a bit of a metal chick.

13 Reasons

I just read The Rock Chick's Thursday Thirteen. It is the 13 Reasons Paris Might Have Been Released from Prision Early. I couldn't stop laughing. I'll just give you one as a taste:

12. All of the license plates she was making read "THTS HOT" creating all kinds havoc for the DMV.

Stop by and check it out!

Thursday Thirteen

This is my first Thursday Thirteen. I decided to go with a computer related topic - my first computer that is...


Favorite Games on the Commodore 64

1. Below the Root - This is still in my mind one of the best adventure games ever made. I just wish I could stop tearing my damned shuba (if you played, you know what I'm talking about). I have to see if I can figure out how to get to play it again...

2. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? - One of the few educational games that I wanted to play on my own. You had to solve crimes by figuring out where in the world the clues led.

3. Donald Duck's Playground - Really cute game where you had to go around earning money to build more stuff for your playground.

4. Swiss Family Robinson - An adventure game based on the story where you had to find various items on the island and use them in order to survive. I don't remember the specifics of the game itself, but I can remember my Dad making little maps for me of the island on graph paper. It was one of the few games that he would play with me - other than Pitfall on the Atari 2600.

5. Impossible Mission - An action game where you had to go from room to room out smarting the different robot traps that were set up. I spent hours with this one.

6. Alice in Wonderland - An adventure game based on the story book. I've always been obsessed with the story so this was a great one for me.

7. Paperboy - It is honestly as silly as it sounds. You are a paper delivery boy on a bike and you have to deliver the newspaper to the correct houses without getting run over, chased by dogs, or otherwise knocked over.

8. Q-Bert - A pyramid with cubes that changed color when you hopped on them. You were a funny looking little guy with a big head, tiny feet and a suction cup like nose.

9. Little Computer People - The first version of a computerized 'pet' that I ever had. A little man that lived in your computer would eventually move into the house provided. You would need to keep his basic needs met and could watch him do little things around the house. Not overly stimulating, but fun for an 8 year old.

10. Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego? - Basically the same game as the Where in the World, but this time in the good old U S of A.

11. Leisure Suit Larry - A naughty adventure game that I shouldn't have had as a teenager, but my parents didn't know any better ;)

12. Music Video Maker (I'm not sure of the title) - This was a fun little program where you made little music videos by plugging in preset elements such as keyboards, dancing girls, etc.

13. Storybook Maker (I'm not sure of the title) - Probably my first non-school related foray into writing. You would make up a story with the pre-made segments. When you were done, you could print them out, if you had about 3 days and 5 printer cartridges.

3x Thursday

1. Do you pay much attention to your body? Do you know when you are doing too much of something, not getting enough of something, etc? How do you know/not know?
My body is pretty good at letting me know things. If I eat too much salt, my feet swell up. If I don't get enough sleep, I have an impossible time staying awake and get really cranky. If I do too much bending/lifting, my back really starts to act up.


2. Have you ever had a health issue that you couldn't solve yourself (other than a sinus infection or something like that)? If so, what steps did you take to resolve it? Did you resolve it? I used to get really bad laryngitis. It would be 2-4 weeks with no voice and it would happen 1-3 times a year. My regular doctor didn't know what to say so he finally sent me to an Ear Nose and Throat specialist. Within a minute she had pinpointed that it was acid reflux irritating my throat. She put me on Prevacid and I haven't had it since.

3. Have you ever had to hop from doctor to doctor to doctor to get a diagnosis? If so, how did you handle it? What are your thoughts about having to hop from doctor to doctor to get a diagnosis? I hate going to the doctor to begin with so getting me to move from doctor to doctor probably isn't in the cards. I go to a practice with 4 doctors and I do see different ones at times. Usually its just a matter of whomever I can get an appointment with, but with certain things I won't go to a particular doctor because I don't like their style of treating me.

Thursday Threesome

Onesome: Just-- in time for summer vacation? Are you there yet? Another week to go? Does it matter (to the moms with little ones and the eight to five crowd)? Just curious how things are across American and around the world... Summer vacation. That's something that I haven't had since graduating college in 1997. Even then I was working. I think the last time that I had a summer break that was totally my own was 1990. In this area, kids are in school until around June 22, I think.

Twosome: in-- times of crisis, what do you do to chill out a bit? Talk to someone? ...take a walk? ...eat a gallon of Ben and Jerry's? Read a book? It depends on what kind of crisis you're talking about. Xanax is great when things really hit the fan. If its a minor crisis, a shopping trip, pigging out, and a good cry seem to help.

Threesome: case--by case? Do you have a carry case for everything that has one available and keep them all populated? ...or do you just stuff gadgetry into whatever is handy when you need to lug it along somewhere? I seem to have cases for most stuff, but it generally gets separated from it if I'm using whatever it is. If its in the case, I probably don't use it at all. The only exception is my SLR camera. That needs the protection and I have the case whenever I have the camera with me.

Tags, Tags and More Tags!

What is it with designer/stores and the crazy amount of tags that they find necessary to put on our clothing? I bought a new pair of pants yesterday and thought I'd like to wear them this morning. Stupid me, I didn't take the tags off last night. I waited until this morning to do it. I counted no fewer than 6 tags on one pair of pants!

1. Size tag that they sew with the tiny white threads to the waist of the pants. You need a nail scissor to get this off or you will be there for 5 minutes on this one alone.
2. Inventory control tag that is attached inside the thigh.
3. Normal size tag on inside.
4. Washing instructions
5. Brand label
6. And of course the good 'ol price tag with the tiny plastic baggie of buttons that I'll put somewhere never to be found again.

Luckily, since they weren't jeans, I was saved the embarrassment of the foot long sticky thing with the size and cut running down the back of the leg. You know, the one I always forget to remove and go out of the house advertising to the world that I wear a delicate size 16. Yes, I really want everyone to know my size just in case they didn't already notice that I'm on the larger side.

Booking Through Thursday - Encore

Almost everyone can name at least one author that you would love just ONE more book from. Either because they’re dead, not being published any more, not writing more, not producing new work for whatever reason . . . or they’ve aged and aren’t writing to their old standards any more . . . For whatever reason, there just hasn’t been anything new (or worth reading) of theirs and isn’t likely to be.

If you could have just ONE more book from an author you love . . . a book that would be as good any of their best (while we’re dreaming) . . . something that would round out a series, or finish their last work, or just be something NEW . . . Who would the author be, and why? Jane Austen? Shakespeare? Laurie Colwin? Kurt Vonnegut?

I can answer that in an instant. Anne Rice and I'd want another book from the Vampire Chronicles series. The last few that she wrote seemed to be written just to satisfy her contractual obligations. I'd love to read another story with the same passion it in as the earlier books - particularly the first 3 (Interview With a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and Queen Of the Damned). But alas, this isn't likely to happen. She claims that books dealing with the occult are not in her future because they conflict with her religion.

Jericho Saved!

Ever since CBS decided to cancel the post-nuclear drama Jericho, there has been a crusade on to save it. The network basically made the same bone-headed decision to cancel it after it lost too many viewers when it returned from the long hiatus. It is the same thing that happened to the more popular Heroes. In response, fans of the show mobilized, trying to change the fate of their beloved show.

Well, CBS has finally come to its senses. After petitions, letter writing, and even the massive delivery of nuts (symbolic reference to a scene in the final episode - watch it here) to the network, CBS has agreed to resurrect Jericho - at least for now. They have decided to bring it back for 7 episodes as a mid-season replacement and will re-air the series over the summer. Finally, network powers that be recognize that even they are not infallible.

The fight is not over yet though. Jericho must increase its viewership or it will once again perish. Since there isn't much else on during the summer season other than some silly reality shows (even one on bingo), please watch when they replay the episodes if you haven't already seen them (or watch again and catch stuff you might have missed). And more importantly, watch when they give us season 2. The future depends on you!

Past and Future

Borrowed from Cat (she borrowed it from Janet who got it from the title link)

...these questions are geared toward the past 2 decades, the present and the future.

Share your life with us! Ready? Here we go!

Where were you in 1987? In school? Working? Single? Married? Attached? What was important to you? What were you doing creatively? Tell us a bit about your life then. I realize some of you were children then...all the better!

1987? I was ending 6th grade and starting 7th. Things weren't too great between my parents. At the end of the 6th grade school year, my mom and I moved out of the apartment for about a week. Thankfully it didn't last. I started a new school for Jr High in September and met (although I didn't know it yet) my soon to be best friend and my first boyfriend. I don't remember much about the creative side - I think makeup was my new art supply then.

Where were you in 1997? What would you like to share about the nineties?
I just turned 21 when the year started. I was finishing up my BA in Political Science at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY and then moved on to working on my MBA in Management Information Systems at Pace University. I was working for a collection agency at part time doing clerical work until I had my BA and then they transferred me to the IT department. I was dating an older guy at the time (I think he was about 30 then). I was convinced that we were going to move in together soon and start thinking about getting married. Boy was I wrong. He was still living at home with his parents and really didn't have any intention of changing that (he's still at home now if that proves it). Oh, and I got my first new car that year - a Saturn SL2. It was a lot better than grandma's 1980 Buick Regal. I think I got my first cell phone then too.

Where did you plan to be or think you'd be in 2007? Have your realized your goals? What is one thing about your present life you love and one you'd like to change?
I guess that depends on when I was thinking it. When I was a teenager, I thought that I'd probably be just married, working in politics, and thinking about having a kid soon. I never imagined that I'd still be living in the apartment that I moved into when I was 2. I wouldn't have expected to have climbed backward on the career ladder. I'd think I was crazy if I knew I would be married for 5 years by now. Now that I'm older and (a bit) wiser, I love being married. I wouldn't trade it for dating all the guys in the world. If I had to change one thing, I wish we would have been able to have kids sooner. My dad passed away last year and he never got to be a grandfather. That is something that I will always regret not being able to give him in his lifetime.

How do you see your life in 2017? Do you have any goals or dreams for your future?
Hopefully there will be a little one running around calling me mom by then. I'd love to have a house of our own. It would be nice to be able to get myself back on track a bit in the career department. As far as dreams go, I'd like to be able to say that I've gotten something I've written published by then and maybe be able to travel a bit.

Wednesday Memes

If you know of anymore fun memes for Wednesday, please comment and let me know!

Wednesday Mind Hump

1. Do you currently subscribe to any magazines? If so, which ones?

Pretty much everything I get is travel related. Conde Nast Traveler, Caribbean Travel & Life, Spa, Luxury Spa Finder. We also have free subscriptions to a bunch of computer magazines that my husband reads, Scuba Diver, Rolling Stone, Maxim, and a boating magazine. Our mailman hates us.



2. What magazines have you subscribed to in the past?

I used to get Travel & Leisure, but I haven't gotten around to renewing it. I got Westchester Magazine (our county), but I may be moving to a different one so I let it run out. When I was a teenager I got Seventeen, YM, Cosmo and a few other fashion/beauty ones. I also had George when it was being published.



3. What do you do with the little cards that always fall out of the magazine? Do you toss them, or have you found a use for them?

I hate those things. Sometimes I use one as a book mark when I'm reading the issue it came out of, but otherwise I toss them. They are better then the stupid perfume sample pages though.



4. If you could start a magazine, what would it be about? Who or what would be on the cover of the first issue?

I suppose I'd do a tropical escapes magazine. It would cover places like Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, Australia, the South Pacific, etc. I'd give indepth coverage to scuba diving spots, dining, spas, and maybe even some articles about relocating to these dream destinations without a millionaire's budget. The cover would be an idyllic beach scene from Turtle Island in Fiji, where I had my honeymoon. It is the most perfect place I can think of on earth.

A Book Meme

I picked this up from Melody (thanks!)...

The Rules Are:
Post your responses.
Tag anywhere from 1-5 friends (optional)
Come back and leave a comment when your post is up


The next 5 books on your to be read shelf:
Bet Me - Jennifer Crusie
Ya-Yas In Bloom - Rebecca Wells
Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin
The Dante Club - Matthew Pearl
Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood - Jennifer Traig


The last 4 books you’ve read:
Pecked to Death By Ducks - Tim Cahill
In Her Shoes - Jennifer Weiner
The Evolution of Jane - Cathleen Schine
Little Altars Everywhere - Rebecca Wells


The last 3 books you borrowed (library or friend):
Lately I've been getting most of my books from trading sites like Bookmooch and Bookins. Its cheaper than buying them, but without the problems involved with going to the library.


The last 2 non-fiction books you’ve read:
I honestly couldn't tell you. I'm currently reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Web pages and Blogging. Other than that, the last one that I can remember was Generations: The History of America's Future 1584 - 2069 . It was really interesting. It showed how the different generation types go through cycles throughout history in this country - how the generation 'Y' kids are supposed to be great leaders. I don't know if all of it is true, but I guess only time will tell.


The 1 book you wish everyone would read:
I'm not going to try and get everyone to read a classic or anything profound. I wish people would take the time to read Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice. After most people saw Interview with a Vampire, they got a certain impression of her work and then the movie for Queen of the Damned ruined it. It made the rest of the series seem silly. QOD is actually my favorite book in the Vampire Chronicles series and I was almost heart broken to see what they did to butcher her work.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

You Should Be A Poet

You craft words well, in creative and unexpected ways. And you have a great talent for evoking beautiful imagery... Or describing the most intense heartbreak ever. You're already naturally a poet, even if you've never written a poem.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Tuesday Twosome

How many hours of sleep do you get and is it enough? I generally get about 7 - 8 hours. I guess you can tell, I'm not a parent yet. Its more than enough. I can make it for a few days on 5, but I start getting cranky by the 3rd day.

How many times do you get angry/upset and is it too much? I don't get angry too often, but it is easy to annoy me. There are certainly too many things that bug me.

How often do you drink caffeine and is it too much? I don't drink coffee too often. Usually if I go to Starbucks I'll get something or after dessert at a nice restaurant. Otherwise I drink tea which doesn't have as much caffeine so its probably enough without going overboard.

How often do you use your cell phone and does it distract from your responsibilities? My cell is one of the most underused electronic devices that I have. I can never remember to bring it with me. I'm too distracted to even use it.

How much time do you spend on the Internet and is it too much? I'm constantly jumping on the web for a few minutes here and there. I hadn't been using it as much at home until I started with my blog, but now I spend plenty. I really want a laptop so I can blog in comfort from the bedroom. So, yes... it is way too much!

Tina's Tuesdays

Topic: Readers Corner

What book are you currently reading? Love Monkey - Kyle Smith

Who is your favourite author and why? Anne Rice - I've been fascinated by her vampires for years. I like the Witches series and some of her other work too, but I have to admit I haven't been as impressed with the last few she's written.

Do you read books from recommendations or do you browse yourself? It depends. I'll take a cue from what other people are reading if they seem to have similar tastes and I like looking at some of what Amazon recommends. At other times, I just go to the bookstore and browse and read whatever looks interesting.

Ten On Tuesday

10 Occupations You Wanted to be When You Were Young

1. Politician
2. Psychologist
3. Veterinarian
4. Zookeeper
5. Model
6. Singer
7. Hotel owner
8. Flight Attendant
9. Paralegal
10. Lawyer

Mundane Monday

10 Things I Would Change/Do About My Life

What this means is that you tell us 10 things you want to do sometime in your life or 10 things you would happily change if you could.

1. Find a new place to live - My apt is being sold (belongs to mom) and we're gonna have to go very soon.
2. Have a baby - Pretty self-explanatory I guess. I've been married for almost 5 years, so its about time.
3. Travel more - There are a million places that I want to go, but I don't seem to have the budget to get where I'd like to.
4. Get a better job - My job is boring and has nothing to do with anything that I went to college or grad school for. I need to find something more interesting and with a bigger paycheck.
5. Learn to play the guitar - I've always wanted to, but never got around to it.
6. Start writing again - I used to write poetry all the time, but kinda got out of the habit. I need to go back to it.
7. Try to get something published - I never wanted to see my name in lights, but in print would be nice.
8. Finish my 101 in 1001 list - I started the 101 things in 1001 days challenge with a reading list. I set up my other blog (Book Bytes) to track it, but I've been spending so much time here, I haven't gotten very far.
9. Start on my scrapbook - I bought tons of stuff to use that I haven't actually done anything with... yet.
10. Learn to program - I really want to learn html, but I don't know if I've worked up the motivation needed for that.

Monday Madness

Party Time

1. When is the last time you planned for a party/social gathering at your house? Other than just having one or two people over to play video games, it would have been last July.
2. What type of event was it? It was a birthday party for my husband. It was the most people I've ever hosted myself here. There were about 12 of us in my little apartment.
3. Do you enjoy hosting parties at your house, or do you find the preparation stressful? I'm not a big party person myself, but if I had more room I might enjoy it a bit more. When you barely have enough room for people to sit on folding chairs, it gets a bit uncomfortable.
4. Do you tend to have a lot more food than needed for these events, or are you pretty good about estimating how much to serve? I always over-estimate big time, but its not a problem. I like having the left overs. Less food to worry about making for the next few days.
5. Some people have gatherings at their homes on a regular basis because it forces them to really CLEAN. How do you feel about this? I don't like cleaning at all. I do a lot more of it when someone is coming over though, but I've relaxed a bit with some of our friends. They are 20-somethings that live at home still and don't clean their own rooms, let alone the house. So they really don't care.