Cherry-picking through Sunday Stealing, again. This one is from July 3:
1. Last movie you saw in a theater?
The Muppets.
2. What book are you reading?
I’m slogging through a book written by a colleague, which I may soon abandon altogether.
3. Favorite board game?
I’d say SCRABBLE. But don’t you actually have to PLAY it occasionally for it to be your favorite? Backgammon and SORRY.
4. Favorite magazine?
I start reading a magazine, then the next one comes before I finish the first, and I end up with a pile of half-read, quickly dated periodicals. I don’t really read them anymore.
I find Newsweek’s new “hip” style annoying and journalistically thin. I usually switch back and forth between it and TIME.
I suppose, by default, Entertainment Weekly, which I skim more than read.
5. Favorite smells?
Freshly baked bread, or pastries generally. Lilac bushes, which remind me of the one adjacent to my home of 18 years in Binghamton, NY.
6. Favorite sounds?
Depends on the need. It can be white noise, to sleep. I love water, generally, from brooks to waterfalls. And, of course, there are all sorts of music.
7. Worst feeling in the world?
The realization that you have really messed up something that was very important to someone else. This tends to be at the personal, not work, level.
8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
What time is it? Can I roll over and go back to sleep?
9. Favorite fast food place?
Wendy’s, maybe because it’s less ubiquitous around here than Mickey D’s or BK.
10. What’s under your bed?
My slippers, and clothes my wife stores.
11. Finish this statement. “If I had a lot of money I’d….?
Have to pull out the list. It depends on the definition of “a lot”. There are so many charities: food pantries, the Red Cross – the demand for their services is only going to increase. But also the arts.
12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
Well, not sleep WITH.
13. Storms – cool or scary?
Depends on whether I’m safely indoors or not.
14. Favorite drink?
I like mixed drinks; orange and cranberry juice, milk and Kaluaha…
15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would….”?
Actually watch all the shows I DVR, rather than record and eventually delete.
16. If you had to dye your hair another color, what would be your choice?
Green, of course.
17. Favorite place to relax?
In the living room, with my feet up, reading the newspaper. This almost never actually happens.
18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
Binghamton, Kingston, New Paltz, Jackson Heights (Queens), Schenectady, Albany, NY. Charlotte, NC.
19. Favorite sports to watch?
I can always watch baseball because I can read or do other things at the same time.
20. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
Well, only if I could remember the mistakes, so I could go make new ones!
1. Last movie you saw in a theater?
Captain America.
2. What book are you reading?
The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov.
3. Favorite board game?
None.
4. Favorite magazine?
GQ.
5. Favorite smells?
Linen.
6. Favorite sounds?
Silence.
7. Worst feeling in the world?
Failing someone I love.
8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
Usually I need to pee.
9. Favorite fast food place?
They’re all equally bad.
10. What’s under your bed?
I don’t even want to know.
11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d…?
…feel a lot more secure.
12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
No.
13. Storms – cool or scary?
Very cool.
14. Favorite drink?
At the moment, Coke Zero.
15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would…?”
Read more.
16. If you had to dye your hair another color, what would be your choice?
Back to my rich, pre-gray chestnut brown, I guess.
17. Favorite place to relax?
BED.
18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
Salem, NY. St. Augustine, FL. Greenwich, NY. Saratoga Springs, NY. South Glens Falls, NY. Fort Edward, NY. Glens Falls, NY.
19. Favorite sports to watch?
None.
20. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
Like you, Roger, I’d want to do that only if I could remember my mistakes, and try not to repeat the worst ones.
OKAY ROGER you asked for it. After I’ve had to read I don’t know how many surveys on your site, it is now MY TURN:
1. Last movie you saw in a theater? Megamall at The Spectrum, about the crimes committed by the Pyramid Corporation (Crossgates) when they built the useless Palisades Mall down in Rockland County. They had the filmakers there to answer questions.
2. What book are you reading? The Will To Power by Fred Nietzsche. Aren’t you impressed? Actually it’s a compilation of ideas from Fred’s notebooks. Coupled with the Wikipedia article on Nietzsche, reading this book will allow you to hold your own in discussions of his philosophy without having studied any of it.
3. Favorite board game? Chess. Love/hate. Chess demands so much focus on winning that it renders one incapable of playing light social games after a dinner party.
4. Favorite magazine? Science News, great reading while sitting on the can. I still get Harper’s and Funny Times, but I don’t bring them into the bathroom. Who has time for dead tree magazines? I’m too busy keeping up with Roger’s blogs.
5. Favorite smells? N/A. I have anoxia. I’ve been known to hallucinate, though.
6. Favorite sounds? Ah… difficult. I would say natural sounds. Right now I’m thinking about Mourning Doves. I’m the only person I know who likes to hear them.
7. Worst feeling in the world? Being selectively targeted for abuse. Guaranteed to make me turn very unfriendly.
8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up? I don’t believe the language necessary to describe the answer is allowed on this website.
9. Favorite fast food place? My refrigerator. With the pantry a close second.
10. What’s under your bed? The basement! Actually, nothing underneath. It’s a water bed.
11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d….? Ha! I have always finished that statement with “… I’d live off the interest.” That might not be possible anymore, though.
12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? I require exactly one pillow. Everything else hits the floor.
13. Storms – cool or scary? I used to be a real cowboy in thunderstorms until I got struck by lightning. I’ve been known to shake my fist at major snowstorms, though.
14. Favorite drink? Hm, must be coffee. How boring.
15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would….”? “…learn how to use it!” Which is why I have plenty of time, thank you.
16. If you had to dye your hair another color, what would be your choice? Had to? Brown again, I guess.
17. Favorite place to relax? Let’s just say that I’ve learned from watching my cats. My favorite place to relax is wherever I am.
18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in? Um, Albany, Suffern (NY,) Oswego, San Francisco. Geez, that’s it?
19. Favorite sports to watch? Chess. Yes, I am quite the exciting guy.
20. Would you like to be born as yourself again? I’d have to say yes, because right now I am not tired of myself yet.
SO NOW, Roger, you see why I don’t answer these surveys. My grumpy pronouncements are not very attractive to The Readership. They read my honest answers and wrinkle their noses. Can’t say I blame them. I’ll leave these surveys up to a nice guy like you for now on.
Dan- I written a blog for 6.5 years now, every day. Every post isn’t gonna be everybody’s cuppa. That’s why I try to do a diverse list of things here.
Okay I’ll take the first four anyway. The rest would bore everyone
1. movie – Terminator .2 but they had the sound so loud it almost broke my eardrums so I don’t do theaters anymore.
2. book – Not enough time to read a book but I do research the web
3. board game – In my profession chess of course
4. magazine – Popular Science because I like to know where technology is headed.
I’ll add sounds – purring cat, nothing under the bed but dust and sometimes the cat, no fear of storms, coffee, to be born again only if I had a memory of this life so I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.
And as you know I generally hate these memes
“wit a pile of” re. “4 – Favourite magazine?” reminds me of “De Camptown Races” by Stephen Foster.
Also re. 12, your answer was “Well, not sleep WITH”. I wonder which preposition should replace “with”. In?
Cheeky greetings from Merry England.
I ould like to join in but I dont know you well enough
nice blog BTW