Sunday Stealing Archives - Page 23 of 26

Sunday Stealing hodgepodge

2 Samuel

This Sunday Stealing hodgepodge was so detailed that I could have written whole posts about a few questions. And in fact, that’s why I’ve done it here a few times, link to items previously discussed.

1. Where do you get your news these days?

I’ve thought about this a lot. I get a lot of newsfeeds, “mainstream,” progressive, and what one might call rightwing. About the latest mass casualty event, I receive a dozen notices. Elon Musk dithering about whether to buy Twitter I read about ad nauseum.

Yet the first time I read that Bob Lanier, Hall of Fame basketball player and an apparently really good guy had died, it was in from Kelly’s blog. And the second was from a weekly newsletter that linked to this article. It’s more and more difficult to know everything.

2. Do you like crab meat? What makes you crabby?

It’s OK. People hijacking the Consitution and/or the Bible.

3. Does freedom mean more choices? Have you ever felt there were too many choices? Elaborate.

I think we have a gazillion choices of picking watching TV/movies, e.g. – so many platforms! Sometimes keeping track of the options is essentially impossible.

4. Barbara Millicent Roberts was introduced to the world on March 9, 1959…that’s Barbie to most of us. Did you have Barbies as a kid, or did you let your own children play with Barbies? What well-known Barbara (living or not) would you most like to meet?

I think my sisters may have had a Barbie. I can’t think of a famous living Barbara I’d like to meet, but maybe Barbra Streisand.

5. What are three things you value most in another person?

Integrity, intelligence, and compassion.

THEY are old…

6. How would you define “old.” At what age is a person old?

It’s always been true: 30 years older than I am.

7. A place you’ve been that’s “old.” Tell us something about your visit there.

My Grandma Williams’ house was old and is now non-existent. This is a picture of my parents in the backyard of 13 Maple Street, Binghamton, NY.

8. Something you miss about the “good old days.” When were they?

In the 1960s, there were a bunch of Supreme Court decisions that were making the United States a better place: Mapp v. Ohio, Baker v. Carr, Gideon v. Wainwright, New York Times v. Sullivan, Griswold v. Connecticut, Loving v. Virginia.

9. In what way are you a ‘chip off the old block’? Or if you’d rather, in what way is your child a ‘chip off the old block’?

My daughter understands my motivation in terms of time usage, way better than her mother does.

10. Old fashioned, Old Testament, old-timer, same old same old, old glory, good old boy, old wives tale…choose an ‘old’ phrase that relates to something in your life or the wider world currently and explain.

My Bible study has been slogging through the Old Testament histories, presently in 2 Samuel. While some of the theology is mystifying, it is an interesting reflection of human foibles.

A juicy mango

11. July 5th is National Hawaii Day…have you ever been to Hawaii? Any desire to visit or make a return trip? Pineapple, mango, or guava…what’s your pleasure?

Never been to Hawaii, though I’d like to. There’s a story about that. Pineapple, though I never had mango until the last decade or so.

12. Last time you were ‘thrown in at the deep end’? Explain.

The Gutenberg block editor on WordPress, which I wrote about here. Just this past week, I tried it again, but could not “get” it.

13. Sun, sea, sand, salt…your favorite when it comes to summer?

I’ve NEVER done sun for the sake of it – ixnay on the unbathingsay, and that was before I had the vitiligo.

14. Bury your head in the sand, the sands of time, draw a line in the sand, pound sand, shifting sands…pick one and tell us how the phrase currently relates to your life in some way.

Sands of time. I’m getting older, and achier.

15. On a scale of 1-10 (1 = make your own rules and 10=like a warden), how strict were your parents? If you’re a parent where on the scale do you land?

My dad was a 7.3, and my mom was about 2.3. I’m much closer to my mom’s score than my dad’s.

Sunday stealing: Do you like…?

on the telephone

Doing another Sunday Stealing, Do you like…

1. Do you like your handwriting? No, and if I’m not careful, it is illegible even to me. I think it was in third grade, and for at least one marking period, I received either a D or an F in Handwriting. So this is NOT a recent phenomenon.

2. Do you like roller coasters? I used to. My family would go to Coney Island, or to Eldridge Park in Elmira. I’d sit with my sister Leslie, while my dad would sit with my sister Marcia. Our mom would hold our glasses. But now, it makes me somewhat nauseous.

3. Do you like scary movies? Not really. I’ve not gone to any Nightmare On Elm Street or Friday the 13th films. The first film to freak me out was called Leech Woman.

4. Do you like shopping? I like going into a store, finding the thing I like, then leaving. Did that with a coat my wife bought for me at JC Penney. The first coat I tried on I liked and it fit. “Don’t you want to try on some more?” NO! It took us longer to pay for it than to select it. So I’ve learned to love mail order.

5. Do you like to talk on the phone? Yes, actually. When I was working, I was the one most likely to call a resource on the phone. And, I might add, I was good at it. In 2020, I called dozens of people, rather as an antidote to COVID despair.

Darkness

6. Do you sleep with the lights on or off? Off. My wife’s aversion to the light at night is primarily the reason.

7. Do you use headphones or earphones? If I’m on a public conveyance (bus, train), yes.

8. Do you have tattoos? Do you want any? No, and no.

9. Do you wear glasses? I have since I was nine or eleven.

10. What is your strangest talent? Making a kazoo sound without a kazoo.

11. Have you ever been in the hospital? Yes. When I was 5 (uncontrollable nosebleed), 19 (car accident), a couple of other times to rule out something more serious.

12. What color mostly dominates your wardrobe? Blue.

13. What’s your most expensive piece of clothing? Probably a suit.

14. Have you ever had braces? No.

15. Have you ever been on TV? Yes. I was on the local kiddie show a few times; I wrote about one experience here. I’ve been interviewed on the local news a handful of times. And, oh, yeah, JEOPARDY twice.

Sunday Stealing: Firsts

Twilight Zone

I’m been feeling blog unfocused. Maybe it’s after hitting my 17th anniversary of blogging, doing it every day another year felt a bit daunting.

I’ve missed doing ABC Wednesday, which I participated in for over a decade. It helped create my weekly blogging structure. So I’m going to do a bit of Sunday Stealing, which I’ve done as early as 2011 and as recently as 2021.

I may do it every week if the prompt strikes my fancy. Perhaps I’ll even do it on a Sunday!

This week are things that are firsts.

First Job: Newspaper delivery of the Evening and Sunday Press (Binghamton, NY) or library page (Binghamton Public Library)

First Favorite Politician: CLean Gene McCarthy

First Record/CD: Beatles VI (US album from Capitol Record Club

First Sport Played: kickball in the backyard, softball at school

First Concert: lots of local concerts that I don’t specifically recall. Seals and Crofts my first year of college

First Foreign Country Visited: Canada (Niagara Falls, ON)

First Favorite TV Show: Twilight Zone

First Favorite Actor: Bill Bixby of My Favorite Martian

First Favorite Actress: Annette Funicello of the Mickey Mouse Club

First Girlfriend/Boyfriend: probably Martha

First Encounter with a Famous Person: Nelson Rockefeller (briefly), or Rod Serling

First House/Condo Owned: my current one

First Film Seen: 101 Dalmatians

First Favorite Radio Station: WEWNE, Endicott, NY

First Book I Remember Reading: Play The Game, a sports anthology book from the 1930s that I STILL OWN, and in fact, is in the room I’m sitting in

Sunday Stealing, March 2020

Music. Always music.

Banana split For the reasons discussed below, I’m taking some questions from Sunday Stealing for March 2020. But only the ones I feel like answering. The first group’s from March 28.

1. If there’s a personal god, what quality would you most like that person to have (and why)?

I suppose I could do worse than the attributes noted in the song Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode: “Someone to hear your prayers. Someone who cares. Someone who’s there.” Why? Because to quote the Rolling Stones, in another context: “Well, we all need someone we can lean on.”

2. What’s your death-row meal?

Steak. Bacon. Banana split.

4. Whom do you find yourself missing more than you would’ve predicted?

Keith Barber.

5. What brings you the most joy? Not happiness, not contentment — JOY.

Music. Always music.

6. Do you find yourself regretting anything you’ve said or done on social media?

Surprisingly infrequently. It’s because I write a blog and then post that. So I’ve thought about it BEFORE I post it. I highly recommend that strategy. Except for news stories, I don’t post anything else.

7. What are your favorite and least favorite things about your body and face?

Least favorite (body): my feet, subject to arthritis, among other ailments, going back to getting frostbite when I was 16
Least favorite (face): the vitiligo, because I don’t want to burn
Favorite (body)): my ears
Favorite (face): my eyes, I suppose

10. Which three places in the physical universe would you most like to visit?

Paris, Tahiti, County Cork in Ireland.

12. How have your religious views changed since you were in high school?

I was pretty rigid then.

March 14

3.Is there a carpet or hardwood floor in your bedroom?

Carpeting, which my wife hates.

10. Have you ever found yourself talking to an inanimate object?

Of course. I mean, is that a BAD thing?

18. Have you ever thrown a surprise party for someone? Who for?

I used to be involved with several surprise parties. Haven’t done one this century, I don’t think.

21. Do you know how to play pool? Are you any good at it?

Yes. No, I’m quite terrible.

22. The most painful medical procedure you’ve ever had?

First root canal.

23. Are you someone who tends to take a whole lot of naps?

Only lately.

March 7

06 What is your least favorite color?

I don’t think I have one. But I do hate poor contrast on signs. So yellow on white is virtually unreadable for me.

08 What is/was your grandfathers’ names?

Maternal grandfather was Clarence Williams. I didn’t know him. He died when I was five, and I THINK I went to his funeral. When went to my maternal grandmother’s funeral in 1982, some folks in the Williams clan came up to me and said, “I bet you don’t remember me.” They were correct.
Paternal grandfather (functional): McKinley Green.
Paternal grandfather (biological): Rev. Raymond Cone.

13 What position do you sleep in at night?

Horizontal

15 Who is your favorite fictional character?

Spider-Man

16 What food do you hate most in the world?

Canned beets.

17 When was the last time you were ill?

Right now, actually, which is why I’m doing this meme. I feel like crap, to use a term my wife hates. I can’t focus on much of anything. More on this later this week.

18 If you were transformed into a wild creature, what would it be?

That presupposes I’m not already one.

19 What was your favorite toy as a child, and whatever happened to it?

Teddy bear, left at my grandmother’s house. A neighbor took possession of stuff from the home temporarily for a time. Then the stuff disappeared.

Sunday Stealing: COVID edition

Yo-yo

Back in 2008-2011, I used to purloin quizzes for this blog from something called Sunday Stealing. I recently discovered that the site still exists.

And while there were some repetitive questions in the day, I obviously never did any COVID-related ones. Until now. There were actually three quizzes in 2020. While some are going to be dated, I thought I’d answer some of them. The first few are from March 2020.

2. How are you feeling about the Coronavirus?
As though God has a warped sense of humor.

5. Have you changed any of your personal habits due to the pandemic?
Until recently, I saw almost no one.

7. Do you think our politicians are doing enough to curb the crisis?
While I think the current ones are trying, the mixed results of the recent mask mandate rules are oddly unsatisfying. I’m good at being outdoors without a mask, but I’m not feeling comfortable in stores, even if the stores don’t require them.

8. Have you stockpiled anything because of the crisis?
No, and other people’s hoarding made me rather… grumpy.

13. Have any of your plans been upset by the outbreak?
Most of them.

16. Has the Coronavirus upset your mental health in any way?
Undoubtedly, in almost every way. I’m still not singing in the choir, e.g.

April 2020

1 – What is something you are doing due to the pandemic that you normally don’t do? After the pandemic will you continue to do this?
Possibly ZOOM with my sisters. They’re in NC and CA.

3- What is one of the first things you will do when the pandemic is over?
Even before it was all over, I went out to eat on April 6, after my second shot, with my friends Carol, Karen, Bill, and Michael. The former three I’ve known since kindergarten. And in a restaurant rather than takeout. I mean it was technically outdoors, but it had an overhang, so it FELT like indoors.

December 2020

1. Day 1 of serious isolation behavior.
Not going to church was huge.

2. First trip you had to cancel.
I was about to meet my friend, the aforementioned Carol (not to be confused with my spouse) in Binghamton in late March 2020. She was going to visit her mom. I was going to do research on my grandmother Agatha. That blew up. I’m planning to try again in September 2021.

3. Other trips canceled.
Uthaclena and I were going to see a concert with members of Jefferson Airplane and other related groups.

4. Last trip out of town before isolation.
Is Schenectady out of town? Then going to Proctors, but then staying overnight in January 2020.

5. Farthest from home since isolation.
Oneonta, my MIL’s house, about 70 miles.

6. Last Meal sitting in a restaurant before Isolation.
Almost certainly on Valentine’s Day, Sam’s Italian Restaurant?

7. How many books have you read?
Not many. A couple of graphic novels, We Return Fighting. Lots of magazines that had been accumulating.

8. First event you didn’t attend due to virus.
See above.

9. Date and event of last over 200-person event.
See next.

10. Last live music event. Cheap Trick, February 7. Unless you count the kids doing Once on this Island on March 8.

11. Things you are eating more of since isolation.
Wheat Thins.

12. Things you are eating less of since isolation.
Nothing.

13. What restaurants have you gotten take-out meals from?
Subway, all of the restaurants on the last block of Madison Ave, mostly pizza, Indian food, and bar food. Also Sam’s Italian, Caffe Italia.

Also

14. Have you found yourself bored in isolation?
Not bored. Never bored. But frustrated and depressed.

15. Have you gained or lost weight?
Yes. Yo-yo.

16. Do you drink alcohol?
Occasionally.

17. If so, more or less in isolation?
Although the IDEA of getting a little (or a lot) drunk was appealing in theory, it just didn’t happen. Some breakers in the psyche are still working.

18. What entertainments have you explored?
Movies online. Inferior to in-person, but that was the option at the time.

19. Gotten into anything new?
Not really.

20. Have you done crosswords? Board games? Jigsaw puzzles?
No, yes, no. But this was true pre-COVID.

21. Have you cleaned out some cabinet, drawer, closet, etc. thoroughly?
A few.

22. Are you spending about the same amount of money?
Generally less.

23. Done Zoom, Facetime, etc. meetups?
WAY too often.

24. Had a social occasion with a small group of people you consider safe?
There were a couple of people on my front porch last fall, distanced and usually masked.

25. Did you vote? In-Person? On Election Day?
Always. Yes. No, early.