Wacky Noodles and Other Things

The mom blogger quiz from MamaBlogga
Take the Mom Blogger quiz!

One of those quiz things from Jaquandor; some numbers were missing, and then I dropped two questions I’d answered before recently, while keeping a couple repeats I could answer differently.

1. You have $5 and need to buy snacks at a gas station. What do you buy?

It would depend how much water I’d already consumed – if enough for the day, probably get a cranberry juice. The rest is pure rationalization: fruit pie or fig bars, because they have fruit; light popcorn, pretzels or Snackwell cookies, because it could have been worse; a soft oatmeal raisin cookie, because it has oatmeal; and something chocolate, such as Mounds or M&Ms , because I’ve said, “Oh, to heck with it.”

2. If you were reincarnated as a sea creature, what would you want to be?

Neptune.

3. Who’s your favorite redhead?

I once had a very weird dream featuring Julianne Moore.

4. What do you order when you’re at IHOP?

Probably go to IHOP once a year, always on the road. Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity strawberry, because my wife likes the way I say it.

5. Last book you read?

The Genius of Impeachment.

6. Describe your favorite pair of underwear.

If by underwear, one counts T-shirts, then it’s this blue U.S. Congress one that my friend Mary gave me.

7. Describe the last time you were injured.

Crashed bike into a curb on Everett Road in Albany, described vividly here.

8. Rock concert or symphony?

It would depend. Have probably been to a near equal number of each.

9. What is the wallpaper of your mobile phone?

No idea.

11. Favorite drink?

Long Island iced tea. Haven’t drunk it in years. But this is wrong; it was served way before the late 1970s.

12. What type of top/teeshirt are you wearing?

As of this writing, one I got from the Red Cross.

13. If you could only use one form of transportation for the rest of your life what would it be?

The train, assuming that there is really light rail around here.

14. Most recent movie you’ve watched at the movies?

The Simpsons Movie.

16. What’s your favorite kind of cake?

Carrot cake. Usually have it once a year, on my birthday.

17. What did you have for dinner last night?

As of this writing: spinach quiche; I’m a real man.

18. Look to your right what do you see?

Books, some of my wife’s papers, a portable CD player, a garbage can.

19. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

I could not tie my shoes until I was nine, so I only wore loafers. Which doesn’t answer the question, does it? Well, I’ve answered it before.

20. Favorite toy as a child?

A teddy bear, probably three feet tall.

21. Do you buy your own food?

Or my wife does.

22. Do you think people talk about you behind your back?

I encourage it. (“Did you hear what Roger just did?”)

23. When’s the last time you had a sour gummy worm?

A long time ago. Don’t like them.

24. What’s your favorite fruit?

Apples (especially Macs), pears, strawberries, blueberries.

25. Do you have a picture of yourself doing a cartwheel?

No.

26. Have you ever eaten snow?

At least once every year.

27. What color are your bedsheets?

Right now, yellow.

28. What’s your mom’s favorite flower?

I’ll ask her.

29. Do you listen to classical music?

Often.

30. Do you have a wacky noodle?

My daughter has two, and she plays with them even when she’s not in the pool. One of these days, the noodle is literally going to hit the (ceiling) fan, and chaos will ensue.

31. Do you watch Spongebob?

When we first discovered it, quite often. Actually not much in the last three-and-a-half years, ironically.

32. Last food you ate?

Cheerios and Shredded Wheat.

33. Do people consider you intelligent?

Seriously, there are people who think I’m brilliant, just because I was on some game show.

35. Is your away message on?

No. You know what I hate? When I send a message to a listserv and I receive 37 out-of-office messages.

36. Have you ever tried gluing your fingers together?

Something to do NEXT lifetime.

37. What curse word do you use the most?

I really do try not to. It’s probably s***, although a****** is my favorite.

38. What time is your alarm clock set for?

5:30 on the weekdays; blame my wife.

42. What CD is currently in your CD player?

Actually nothing. I’m really into playing vinyl right now. That would be a Star Wars album, not the soundtrack, but the actual story, with scenes from the movie, narrated by the late Roscoe Lee Browne.

43. What movie do you know every line to?

Nada. But Annie Hall is probably the movie I know the most lines to. That or the Wizard of Oz.

46. Do you sleep in the same bed with your pets?

No pets.

47. Do you enjoy giving hugs?

And getting. Probably not getting nearly enough.

48. What part of your name do people mis-pronounce?

Occasionally, maybe to be funny, people say Rogger, sorta rhyming with Frogger.

50. If you were to become famous, would you drop your last name?

Nah, it’s too colorful.

ROG

Book Quiz!

Jaquandor did this quiz around the time a couple months ago when people were shocked, SHOCKED that Americans aren’t reading books like they used to. Actually, I do sympathize. I joined a book club through my [former] church for about a decade (1986-1996), and that forced me to read 10 books a year. Not only that, I was required to read genres that I wouldn’t have necessarily read on my own, such as fantasy or home improvement, instead of my usual non-fiction selections of biographies and books about music, movies, sports and history. Now I read maybe 3 or 4 books a year, and the year Lydia was born, quite possibly only the Bradley method book.

I mean, in my job, I read all the time, but it’s not whole books. It’s reports, book sections and reference material.

Of course, I’m taking this to mean books I read for myself. I read lots of books to Lydia, at least a couple per day.

What are you reading right now?

The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders’ Cure for Royalism by John Nichols.

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?

Probably A Day Apart: How Jews, Christians and Muslims find freedom, and joy on the Sabbath by Christopher D. Ringwald, who I know. But I still need to get back to Shrub by Molly Ivins, which I was reading before I read that Stax book, Soulville, U.S.A.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?

At any give time, Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly or Jet, though my wife and my daughter are always bringing them out and giving them to me. when I was growing up, we ALWAYS had magazines in the bathroom, a wicker basket with my mother’s Ladies’ Home Journal; I always used to read “Can this marriage be saved?”

What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?

Don’t know that it was the worst, but Johnny Tremain, a junior high assignment, sticks in my mind. So does Ivanhoe.

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?

I don’t recommend books.

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?

Well, yeah, but it’s mostly because I bring Lydia to the library to get videos and books. Also, because I’m on the board of The Friends of the Albany Public Library.

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all?

You mean, besides the World Almanac, which I find utterly fascinating?

Do you read books while you eat?

No, maybe newspapers or magazines. I don’t want food to get on the book.

While you bathe?

No, but I shower, so it seems impractical.

While you watch movies or TV?

Not movies. TV- rarely; usually periodicals during baseball.

While you listen to music?

Yes.

While you’re on the computer?

Only if engaged in downloading or uploading something that will take a while.

While you’re having sex?

What?

While you’re driving?

No.

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?

Yes, and not just children. My own family who labeled me Mr. Encyclopedia. People used to come visit my parents, so I would dutifully come out of my room, say hello, then go back to my room to read. My sister once insisted that if the house were on fire, I wouldn’t notice because I was so busy reading. This was not true; the power would probably go off, and I would have noticed that.

Whereas the kids in school, some of whom I still know, seemed to have valued the written word.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?

It’s been decades; I don’t remember.

BTW, it’s Banned Book Week; here’s what’s happening in Albany on Saturday, October 6, with a link to events nationwide.

ROG

Eight things

It was undoubtedly Lefty who semi-tagged me to write eight (more) things about myself.

1. I have gone out with two different women who had lost children in car accidents, before I met them. I think – check that, I’m certain – that I didn’t understand their deep-seated devastation at the time.

2. I recently finished listening to a disc that someone compiled of the 500 best songs. Of the 500, I downloaded 128. Of the 128, the vast majority I already own on vinyl – six by Chuck Berry, four by Little Richard, three each by Queen and Buddy Holly; I also grabbed Buddy Holly by Weezer, which I had never owned before.

3. I worked as a bank teller for less than a month in 1978. My first day solo, I was off by five cents, and I was required to spend an hour looking for it; not worth it.

4. I’ve received Hess trucks for Christmas the last seven years. I actually play with them on those rare occasions when neither my wife or daughter are home.

5. The sound of a power lawn mower, vacuum cleaner, or washing machine could put me to sleep, given the opportunity.

6. I’ve shaken Nelson Rockefeller’s hand twice.

7. I used to be in a volleyball league. I served well.

8. I never took the SATs.
***
What Is Art?

ROG

A Couple Interrogatives

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal this week that I found quite disturbing, but true. Here’s the abstract:

Moving On: Are We Teaching Our Kids To Be Fearful of Men?
Jeffrey Zaslow. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Aug 23, 2007. pg. D.1

When children get lost in a mall, they’re supposed to find a “low- risk adult” to help them. Guidelines issued by police departments and child-safety groups often encourage them to look for “a pregnant woman,” “a mother pushing a stroller” or “a grandmother.”

People assume that all men “have the potential for violence and sexual aggressiveness,” says Peter Stearns, a George Mason University professor who studies fear and anxiety. Kids end up viewing every male stranger “as a potential evildoer,” he says, and as a byproduct, “there’s an overconfidence in female virtues.”

TV shows, including the Dateline NBC series “To Catch a Predator,” hype stories about male abusers. Now social-service agencies are also using controversial tactics to spread the word about abuse. This summer, Virginia’s Department of Health mounted an ad campaign for its sex-abuse hotline. Billboards featured photos of a man holding a child’s hand. The caption: “It doesn’t feel right when I see them together.”

So, as the article notes: The implied message: Men, even dads pushing strollers, are “high-risk.” “Very sad” doesn’t begin to cover it. What are your thoughts? Anyone wanting the whole article, please let me know.
***
On a much lighter note, Jaquandor tagged me with 7 Things, but added a twist; one of these is false. Which one?

1. I had a nosebleed so bad that I was hospitalized.

2. I enjoy sushi.

3. I’ve talked with a Supreme Court justice.

4. I was terrible as a percussionist in my junior high school orchestra.

5. One of my favorite books is “Growing Up” by Russell Baker.

6. I’m cited in two books.

7. I’ve never read, never even started, the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
***

***

My Fortune Cookie told me:
You will risk becoming eternally dependent upon misguided bishops.
Get a cookie from Miss Fortune

***
Amazon has on sale a Mel Brooks box set. It features one of my favorite films of all time, Young Frankenstein, and one of my least favorite movies of all time, History of the World, Part 1.
***
I own only about a half dozen Lyle Lovett albums. He has a new one, which he describes here.
***
I thought there were only eight candidates running for the Democratic nomination for President. I was wrong.
***
Oh, yeah: according to my previous poll question, 13 of you have already seen the Simpsons movie, 3 will in theaters, 3 will on DVD.
***
Albanians: listen to WMHT-FM (89.7) tomorrow, Sunday, Aug. 26 at 6:00 p.m. — they are broadcasting Albany Pro Musica’s ‘s March 2007 concert, “From Holocaust to Hope.”

ROG

Another Wednesday Meme

Who did I steal this one from? Oh, yeah, the geographically flexible GayProf -Texas to Boston to Midwestern Funky Town.

1. What Do You Say Most When You’re Trying Not To Swear?
F-f-f-f-f-f-fudge!


2. Do You Own An iPod?
What’s an iPod?



3. Which Person(s) In Your Top Friends Do You Talk To The Most?
Is this a reference to MySpace? Then none. But if we’re talking real live people, then my friend Norman at racquetball.



4. What Time Is Your Alarm Clock Set To?
Depends on what my wife sets it to. Usually 5:30a.m. on weekdays, off on the weekends. But she has set it to 5 a.m. – that lost half hour is brutal.



5. Do You Want To Fall In Love?
I am in love.



6. Do You Wear Flip-Flops When It’s Cold?
Don’t wear flip-flops at all presently, since I don’t own any.





7. Would You Rather Take The Picture Or Be In The Picture?

Take the picture, for sure.



8. What Was The Last Movie You Watched?
The Simpsons Movie.



9. Do Any Of Your Friends Have Children?
Yes.



10. Has Anyone Ever Called You Lazy?
At some level I am, but no one seems to notice except my wife.



11. Do You Ever Take Medication To Help You Fall Asleep?
Yes. My father once gave me something that really worked, but I took it only that once, because it felt too good. I’ve had a prescription for Ambien, but don’t like taking it.



12. What CD Is Currently In Your CD Player?
I have a 5-CD changer: John Hiatt, the Mamas & the Papas, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, and one of Lydia’s.



13. Do You Prefer Regular Or Chocolate Milk?
Chocolate. Strawberry, actually.



14. Has Anyone Told You A Secret This Week?
Probably.




15. When Was The Last Time You Had Starbucks?
That’s a coffee shop, yes? Then, no – I don’t drink coffee.


16. Can You Whistle?
Yes, but not that “put your thumb and index finger” loud, commanding whistle that some folks can do.



17. Do You Have A Trampoline In Your Back Yard?
Not yet.



18. Do You Think People Talk About You Behind Your Back?
I
hope so.



19. Did You Watch Cartoons As A Child?
Scads of them. Everything from Mighty Mouse to Bugs Bunny to the Beatles.



20. What Movie Do You Know Every Line To?
Possibly none.



21. What Is The Last Thing You Purchased?
Milk.



22. Is There Anything Wrong With Girls Kissing Girls?
No. Why do you ask?



23. Do You Own Any Band T-Shirts?
Yes – two Beatles shirts – but I didn’t buy them; they were gifts from my family.



24. What Is Your Favorite Salad Dressing?
Soviet, er, Russian.



25. Is anyone in love with you?
Thousands, undoubtedly.



26. Do You Do Your Own Dishes?
Usually the ones that don’t go in the dishwasher, I do, or the ones that don’t get clean from the dishwasher.



27. Ever Cry In Public?
Maybe at a funeral.



28. Do You Like Anyone?
I love EVERYBODY. Especially you.



29. Are You Currently Wanting Any Piercings Or Tattoo?
No.



30. Who Was The Last Person To Make You Mad?
Probably an automobile driver.



31. Would You Ever Date Anyone Covered In Tattoos?
Well, my wife might object if I dated ANYONE. That said, don’t know.



32. What Did You Do Before This?
Sleep.



33. When Was The Last Time You Slept On The Floor?
At some point in Lydia’s first year, next to her.



34. How Many Hours Of Sleep Do You Need To Function?
Five.



5. Do You Eat Breakfast Daily?
Almost always.



36. Are Your Days Full And Fast Paced?
Full, yes. Fast-paced, depends.



37. What are you doing right now?
Noting that this thing already has 37 QUESTIONS?



38. Do you use sarcasm?
Why on EARTH would I EVER use sarcasm?



39. Have You Ever Been In A Fight?
Yes, but usually not of my making. In fact, the ONLY fight I ever got into intentionally was in fifth grade, when this kid Robert was beating up my friend David and I entered the fray.



40. Are You Picky About Spelling And Grammar?
I’ve worked on trying not to be. There are people who I enjoy reading, good writers, who simply cannot figure out the correct use of the apostrophe, especially it’s and its. I’ve tried to stop fussing about it in my head.



41. Have You Ever Been To Six Flags?
Nope.


42. Have You Ever Gotten Beat Up?
Yes, but not too badly.



43. Do You Get Along Better With The Same Sex Or The Opposite?
Opposite. And have since at least fifth grade.



44. Do you like mustard?
Yes -Dijon.



45. Do You Sleep On Your Side, Stomach, Or Back?
Side.



46. Do You Watch The News?
Too often.


47. How Did You Get Three Of Your Scars?
Two from accidents on a bicycle on my arms, one on my right knee. I assume you meant physical scars, rather than emotional ones.
***
Talk Like A Pirate Contest as Christian outreach?

ROG

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