Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. In the USA this coming Sunday millions will be watching the Baltimore Ravens take on the San Francisco 49er's in the Superbowl. What was the last event you attended that could be described as super? Probably one of the cons I went to.  PhilCon, I think, would be the one I'd choose.  This was 2003, 2004.  I got a chance to meet people I hadn't met before, I was introduced to one of my favorite authors, and I just geeked out the whole weekend.
2. Share something you're a fan of these days? I'm a fan of a lot of things.  But my biggest obsession at the moment is NCIS.  They do reruns on USA so I've been taping them and catching up on the episodes.  Last night, I even watched the new episode.  Of course, if you ask me on March 30, my focus is going to change to Doctor Who with the second half of the season coming out.  (Plus, 50th Anniversary?  Oh yeah!)
3. How do you feel about wings? In case anyone is confused, I'm talking about the edible appetizer kind. What's your preferred seasoning-hot, mild, teryiaki, sweet and sour, other? Do you make your own or is there a favorite place you like to go for wings? I'm actually pretty meh about wings.  I think it's because, in my mind, I still thing of them as something hot and spicy and I'm not much of a spicy food person.  I have had teryiaki wings before, though, and those aren't too bad.
4. As long as we're talking sports today, have you been following the Lance Armstrong story? Did you watch his interview with Oprah and if so what was your reaction to his confession and subsequent remarks? I haven't really been following it.  I mean, I've heard about all of it, but it just hasn't stuck on my radar.
5. What's a question you hate to be asked? "Can you make this call for me?"  *shiver*
6. The coaches in this Sunday's big match up happen to be real life brothers. Jim Harbaugh coaches the 49er's and his older brother John Harbaugh coaches the Baltimore Ravens. Were you and your sibling(s) competitive? In what way? Are you still? If you're an only child how did you handle competition growing up?  My sister and I were never really competitive.  We weren't much into sports, and being competitive about grades just never struck me as something that made a lot of sense - particularly since she was two years behind me.  We were learning different things.  My boys, however, are incredibly competitive.  About everything.  If Pete gets to the front door before me, he'll tell me, "I win, Mommy.  You lose."  I'm trying to temper their competitive streaks a little, but it doesn't seem to be working yet.
7. What's your favorite game involving a ball, and when did you last play? Soccer, though I haven't played since middle school.  My school then was big on soccer and didn't have a football team (though now they have a co-team with one of the other towns).  So soccer is what I grew up learning and I actually enjoyed playing quite a bit.
8. Insert your own random thought here. It's a very rainy day here in TN.  Apparently, several people lost power last night and there was at least one tornado touch done.  Thankfully, none of that seemed to happen to me.  I did hear the wind and the rain quite a bit last night.  It's actually stopped for the moment, so I was able to go outside and take pictures of the runoff/creek behind my apartment.  The water's moving fairly quickly down there.  It always makes me smile to watch the water rushing like that.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. The popular saying 'All is fair in love and war' is originally credited to English writer John Lyly. Is he right? I don't think that ALL is fair.  I think there are times when you need to think about what will happen when you choose the action you're contemplating.  Who will you hurt?  How?  It's much more important to use your brain than to win at all costs.
2. Are you a cereal eater? What's your favorite kind? I love cereal.  I eat it regularly.  I'll admit that I was glad when my kids hit the sugar cereal age because, even though it isn't healthy, I love it.  My favorite is probably Lucky Charms.  Weird, but I love the marshmallows.
3. A five year old in Pennsylvania was recently given a ten day school suspension for talking with a friend about shooting one another with a Hello Kitty Bubble gun (the toy blows bubbles). She did not have the gun with her at school.
   
   A psychological evaluation was also ordered and the incident was recorded on her permanent record. The suspension was later reduced to two days and her parents are suing to have the incident removed from her file. Your thoughts? (If you missed the story, click here for details) I hadn't heard about it but am appalled.  I think that the world has gone nuts with zero tolerance, replacing considered thought with thoughtless reaction.  The children were talking about a toy - one that shoots bubbles rather than than even pretend bullets or fake arrows or anything else.  A bubble gun may hurt by getting bubbles in the eye, but it's not even like a real gun.  And putting it on someone's permanent record - particularly when the child is only 5 - is going to hurt her for the rest of her life, particularly when she didn't have the bubble gun with her
4. Whatever happened to_______________________? My sanity.  I'm sure it's somewhere hanging out with my thinner self and my youth.
5. January 23rd is National Handwriting Day, billed as a day to reacquaint yourself with a pen and pencil. Do you like your handwriting? Do you prefer to print or write in cursive? This date was chosen because its the birth date of John Hancock. What's the last thing you signed your name to? My handwriting isn't too bad.  It's not as nice as my mom's, but it's better than most of the rest of my family.  I generally do a combination of print and cursive.  It's weird but, half the time I don't even realize I do it.  As for the last thing I signed my name to.... I signed Pete into PDO this morning.  With everything going on picking him up early today, I forgot to sign him back out.
6. Speaking of John Hancock, ever been to Philadelphia? Do you have any desire to visit the city of Brotherly Love? Not only have I been to Philadelphia, but I lived there for several years.  I loved living there. There are so many great places in Philly to visit, and many that I want to visit with the boys, like The Franklin Institute and Please Touch Museum.  I'd also love to go by the places that Rich and I lived and worked at when we lived there.
7. Share something funny you've heard a child say. My kids regularly bust out with things that make me laugh.  Of course, at the moment I can neither remember them nor find them on Facebook where I used to post them.  The only one coming to mind is Peter, during the Christmas play at PDO.  They were singing "Happy Birthday, Jesus" and Pete was hamming it up a bit.  He's got this thing, whenever he's being silly, of talking about cows.  So at the very end, when they're supposed to all say, "Happy Birthday, Jesus!", Pete turned the boy in the cow costume next to him and said, "Happy birthday, Cow!"  I just cracked up.
8. Insert your own random thought here. I have actually made dinner once this week and will be doing so another night. I hate cooking dinner, but I'm actually pretty happy with the dinner I made the other night.  I made a chicken pasta casserole and, while the boys didn't like the veggies in it, Rich and I both loved it.  Tomorrow, I'm making pasta, sauce, kielbasa and garlic bread.  Pasta seems to be my forte.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English...here's the list for 2013-

fiscal cliff, kick the can down the road, double down, job creators/creation, passion/passionate, yolo (acronym for you only live once), spoiler alert, bucket list, trending, superfood, boneless wings, and guru

Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words were chosen.

This is tough.  I'm a big believer in words.  Even if they're overused by some, they tell us something about the culture we live in, as well as a glimpse into our culture as our descendants look back on our time from the future.  That said, if I've got to choose, it would probably be yolo.  While I agree with the sentiment, the older I get, the less I'm caring for acronyms in every day speech.

2. When was the last time you rode a train? Where did you go?

Well, I know I haven't been on one in at least 7 years, though I can't say for sure the last time I was on one.  I used to live in Philadelphia and trains were a pretty common thing for me to ride then.  My husband and I didn't have a car for much of my time there and we'd take the train to visit friends in NY, to go out to visit his family in Cherry Hill, or to go out to the PA suburbs to visit friends there.  I miss riding the train.  I'm actually hoping that the next time we make a trip to visit family in NJ, we'll be able to take the boys on the train into Philly to visit some of the sights.

3. Bagels-yay or nay? Favorite 'flavor'? Favorite topping?

I love bagels!  I don't get them often enough.  My favorite is asiago with cream cheese topping.

4. 'Tis the season of awards shows....if you could star in a movie already made, which one would you choose?

Hrmmm... I've got a lot of favorites that I'd love to be a part of.  But the top of my list would probably be Coraline.  I'd be able to just do voice acting rather than be on the screen itself, I'd be a part of a Neil Gaiman creation, and it would just be fun!

5. The move towards single gender classrooms has been making the news in recent months...what say you? Do you think kids perform better if separated by gender and are taught differently or is that discrimination? If you're a parent is this something you'd support in regard to your own children?

I hadn't heard about single gender classrooms, but I've definitely got an opinion on it.  I don't like it.  The world we live in isn't separated by gender and our children are going to need to learn how to deal with everyone, regardless of gender, race, sexuality, outlook on life, or anything else that makes them a little different.  Classrooms are supposed to be a place to learn and learning needs to be more than just what comes in a book.  If this were something to be discussed in my boys' schools, I would make sure they knew my opinion quite strongly.

6. What's your favorite thing about staying in a hotel?

So many things to choose from!  I love staying in a hotel.  I love having maid service come in and take care of cleaning up, of not having to wash my own linen.  I love having someone around that can suggest good places to eat or visit.  I love not having to make the food myself.  But my favorite thing is, far and away, having a chance to be somewhere different.  It's a small slice of getting out of my own life, even if it's only for a night.  And it's refreshing to my spirit to be able to do so.

7. Do you have a 'word' for 2013? What's the story behind your choice?

Button courtesy of Melanie at Only a Breath

I saw the One Word meme last year but never jumped on the bandwagon of choosing one for myself.  This year, I decided that having a word would be a good thing, giving me something to incorporate into my every day life.  The word I chose (as you can see above) is "Focus".  Why?  Because I'm trying several new things this year - from eating better to challenging myself daily, to being a better me.  All these things require me to stay focused on my goals.  Instead of flitting from here to there, I've got to work on keeping my mind focused on the task at hand.  I succeed so much more when that happens.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I haven't been on top of things as much the last couple of days.  Between the cold, rainy, icy weather here in Nashville, a cold that seems to be getting worse, and a day filled with errands yesterday, I've been putting a lot of things on the back burner.  I'm still not sure if I'll manage to get my challenge done for today, mainly because it involves cooking when all I want to do is sleep.  But I may surprise myself after all.  Maybe I'll take a short nap and feel refreshed.  We'll see as the day goes on.  But I'm trying to remember that one day is not going to destroy my progress, as long as I get back up and do what needs to be done tomorrow.

Catching Up on Memes - Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. It's a brand new month...share one thing you're looking forward to in October.

The cooler weather.  September had far too many hot days for my liking.  October has started out chilly and I'm loving it.  Let me pull out my sweaters, turn on the heat, drag out my hoodies.  Like me make hot chocolate and loads of coffee to warm me up.  I want the chill!

2. Is chivalry dead? Explain.

I don't think so.  Though, as Wayne said on his blog, I think it has changed.  It isn't quite the code of knights that it used to be, and it's not something just for men.  But the qualities of courtesy, generosity and valor still show up in every day life, from someone - whether it be the man in front of me, my four year old or the woman entering first - holding the door open for me to someone stopping to hand a burger to the man holding a sign asking for food outside of McDonalds to someone selflessly giving themselves to save someone else.  It may not be something that people strive for or that is lauded the way you read about in medieval stories, but it is something that you see in little ways every day from the people around you.

3. On October 2, 1950 the Peanuts comic strip made its debut. Which character is your favorite? Which character is most like you? (Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Shroeder, Snoopy, Woodstock, or Pig Pen) If you need a description click here .

I always liked Linus.  He had a wonderful combination of child (his need for his blanket) and philosopher.  Of all the Peanuts cast, I wanted to know him more than any other.  As for which is most like me... I'd say I'm an amalgamation of several.  I have a bit of Charlie Brown's luck, a bit of Lucy's know-it-all tendencies, a bit of Linus' need to hold on to childhood, a bit of Peppermint Patty's tom-boyishness, a bit of Marcie's sidekickiness, and a bit of Pig Pen's slovenliness.

4. What's something you're competitive about?

Primarily, games.  I hate that I am that way, and I've come a long way from the snits I'd get into when I'd lose, but I often find myself replaying games on Facebook until I see my own name in the top spot.  Because I need to be number one.

5. October is National Popcorn Popping Month...are you a fan? How do you like your popcorn?

I go in cycles with popcorn.  I do love the taste of it, particularly when it's flavored in some way (and my favorite is with white cheddar, though I'm interested in different flavors like pumpkin pie spice as well).  But sometimes the kernels get stuck in my teeth and that will turn me off of popcorn for awhile.

6. When did you first realize the world is small?

I'm not sure if I know when I first realized it.  There've always been little instances of "Hey, I know where that is!" when talking to someone about the small town of my youth, or meeting someone that frequented a place I had also frequented.  But I can tell you the latest instance of realizing the world was small:

First, a bit of background.  I went to college at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida from 1992 to 1994.  I wasn't one of the more popular people there, but I did have my own group of friends and loved my time there.  Now, 20 years later, I'm living in Nashville, TN. 20 years and almost 700 miles away, I wouldn't expect to run into anyone that I knew from there - at least, not anyone that I'd already known were local thanks to Facebook.

But a couple weeks ago, I was walking into Wal-Mart with Teddy, looking for a birthday gift from Teddy for Pete when I was stopped by a woman about my own age.  "Excuse me, but you look very familiar to me.  Did we go to college together?"  I couldn't imagine that it was possible, seeing as I'd gone to college in Florida 20 years previously and I told her so.  But, much to my surprise, she and I had gone to college together.  She wasn't someone that I'd been good friends with, but she was someone that I knew of and that hung out in some of the same places that I had.  We exchanged e-mail addresses and, while I haven't been in touch with her yet, I am planning on dropping her an e-mail soon.  Small world, indeed.

7. In terms of architecture, what's the most beautiful building you've seen up close and in person?

Annie Pfieffer Chapel, envisioned by Andrew Lloyd Wright, was a place that I not only got to see up close and in person but had a chance to sing in on occasion.  Many of the buildings at Florida Southern were created by Andrew Lloyd Wright, and Southern has the distinction of being the largest collection of his architecture.  There are a lot of beautiful buildings there, but of them, I love Annie Pfieffer the best.  The stained glass inside, the sweeping stairs outside, the acoustics... its just a wonderful place to meditate, to sing in and to enjoy.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

This week, I had a family member comment on a Facebook post that I inspired her by posting the things that I'm getting done in my life. On a day when I was feeling particularly useless (since things have gone down hill with me being sick this week), it was a much needed boost to show me that I'm going in the right direction.

Wednesday Hodgepodge!

Today, I'm back for my second shot at Wednesday Hodgepodge, hosted by From This Side of the Pond.  I know things have been a little light with my posting this past week, but I am trying to get back on track with all of it.  So you'll probably see a lot of posts today.  Feel free to ignore them if they get to much.  But I do hope that, someday, you'll decide to come back and see what else I have to say.

On with the questions!

1. The Wednesday Hodgepodge falls on John Chapman's birth date. He's more famously known as Johnny Appleseed...what's your favorite variety of apple?

I don't know if I really have a favorite, per se.  I'm actually not a big raw-apple eater.  And I don't know why, because I do love the flavor of them.  I just... never seem to find it on the top of my list of "things to eat".  Still, that's not the question.  To actually answer the question, I'd probably have to say either Jazz or Galas.  They tickle my tastebuds.

2. When did you last say 'ick'?

If I had to hazard a guess, it would have been the other day when Pete tried to pick up a french fry from the ground at the outdoor McDonald's PlayPlace and eat it.  Technically, I think I said "icky" instead of "ick", but it was the same idea.  And yes, I pulled it away from him before he could actually stick it in his mouth and listened to 10 minutes of screaming and crying because Pete wanted THAT fry - didn't matter that he had the rest of them in front of him.  That one was the one that he wanted.  I don't understand kids - no matter what age they are!

3. Do you think there's a generation gap? Explain.

Yes and no.  I think, like many other things, it's a matter of perspective.  When you're a kid - or even the parent of a kid, it's a gap that seems as wide as a canyon.  Clothing, music, issues... they are all radically different from when the adult was going through that time of their life.  It's harder to relate.  But when a child gets older, becomes a parent and is dealing with their own parents, I think the gap becomes much, much smaller.  The important issues are more timeless - raising a child, money, changes in body, mind and soul.  Experience.  The things that two adults can find common ground in that an adult and a child would never be able to.

4. What's on your computer screen saver? Do you change it often or leave it alone?

I actually don't have a screen saver.  It's just in energy saver mode so it turns off after a few minutes of inactivity.

5. If you had the attention of the entire world for two minutes what would you say?

"Pay attention to the world around you.  The land, the people, the issues.  Pay attention to all of it.  Put yourself in someone else's shoes before deciding that you know better than them.  Be understanding.  Be compassionate.  Laugh.  If we want a better world for our children, we need to start by being better ourselves."

6. Four fashion trends to try this fall are brocade/jacquard (fancy fabrics), peplum, lace, and printed pants...which of these four would you be most likely to wear?

Tough one, since none of them are things I particularly enjoy.  If I had to chose one, it would probably be brocade/jacquard. Printed pants would make my thighs look bigger than they already are. Peplum would make my hips look huge.  Lace... too scratchy. So that leaves me with brocade.

7. What can make your bad day better?

It depends on what made the day bad, but usually it's one of the boys coming to climb in my lap, telling me they love me and just feeling their arms around me.  If not that, then my husband just holding me, telling me that no matter how bad the day is, we're getting through it together.

And if I can't have any of those (boys in school, Rich at work), then Doctor Who.  He makes everything better.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I would love to be able to get a good nights sleep one of these nights.  For a week, I've been coughing and hacking every time I lay down.  If it's not gone by next Monday, there will be a dreaded trip to the doctor in my future.  Please, lungs?  Please?  You need to start healing so I don't have to go!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Today, I'm jumping on the bandwagon of a new (to me) weekly meme.  Wednesday Hodgepodge, from From This Side of the Pond (which I found thanks to Wayne W. Smith at Touristic).  I'm hoping that I'll make it a regular part of my rotation.

1. What's the best and worst thing about growing older?

Hmmm... The best thing is having years of wisdom to call upon.  Most (though thankfully not all) situations that I've run into (or that my kids run into) have been something I've even somewhat run into before.  So even if I don't know exactly what to do, I have something to base it upon.

The worst would have to be my body failing.  I can't bounce back in ways that it used to.

2. Autumn arrives in the Northern Hemisphere this week...what one thing do you love most about the fall season?

I love the weather getting colder, the leaves starting to change and the crispness in the air.  Fall is my favorite season.

3. Speaking of fall...pumpkin seems to be flavoring everything these days-are you a fan? What's your favorite pumpkin flavored food or beverage?

This is tough.  I absolutely LOVE pumpkin everything.  Pumpkin pie has always been my favorite, but my husband has started making pumpkin pancakes that are absolutely yummy.

4. Since we're on the subject of fall...what's the worst fall you've ever taken?

Another hard one.  I have a tendency to block those kind of things from my mind.  Probably when I fell down the hill in front of my apartment when I was pregnant with Teddy.  I was trying to pack up the van with boxes to bring to the compactor and I slipped and fell.  It wasn't that it was a bad fall, per se, but since I was pregnant with my first child, I was worried that I'd done something to hurt him.  No worries, though!

5. If you could own a prop from any film what would you choose?

Another difficult choice.  There are so many movies that I love.  TV show would be easy - the Doctor's sonic screwdriver from Doctor Who. But for movie... probably the tarot deck from The Red Violin.  The music was important to the movie, but the tarot deck just speaks to me more.

6. What's the most interesting word you've read or heard in the past week?

"Harsh".  Not because of the word itself, but because of how it was used.  Pete took the dry erase marker from the new chore charts and colored all over the walls and himself.  Considering how many times he's gotten in trouble for it lately, you'd think he'd learn by now (or that I'd learn not to keep things like that in his reach).  But I yelled and screamed (a lot) because I was so frustrated.  After about a minute, Teddy came up to me and, very concerned, asked, "Mommy, don't you think that was a little harsh?"  It kind of stopped me in my tracks because he had to tell me something I should have known.  I learned something from him that day.

7. When was the last time you locked yourself out of your house, car, or office? Was it a big deal?

The week before we were leaving for vacation, I'd dropped Rich off at work.  When I came home, my hands were full and Teddy asked if he could close my door.  I said yes, not thinking about the fact that my keys were on the seat.  Both house and car keys.  The office wasn't open yet (it was only 8 am) and I didn't have a spare key hidden anywhere.  I eventually had to jump my back deck (which is about 5 feet off the ground and fully enclosed) to get into the (thankfully) unlocked back sliding doors and open the door for the kids.  Not my best hour.  But I got in, called AAA and my kids and I were safe.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Time to get the kids off to school.  So much to do before Friday.  But I'm better off than I've been in a long time.