One Word Meme

I thought I might have done this before, but apparently not. Seen at Life in Scribbletown and Magpie Musing...

Where is your cell phone? Purse

Where is your significant other? Here

Your hair color? Brown

Your mother? Planning

Your father? Typing

Your favorite thing? Reading

Your dream last night? Anxious

Your goal? Enough

The room you’re in? Sunny

Your hobby? Knitting

Your fear? Ladders

Where do you want to be in six years? Happy

Where were you last night? Home

What you’re not? Prepared

One of your wish-list items? These

Where you grew up? Various

The last thing you did? Shop

What are you wearing? Red

Your TV? On

Your pet(s)? None

Your computer? Mac

Your mood? Antsy

Missing someone? Yes

Your car? Sensible

Something you’re not wearing? Pink

Favorite store? TYL

Your summer? Oxford

Love someone? Yes

Your favorite color? Wine

When is the last time you laughed? Today

Last time you cried? Forgotten

Tagging: You

Are you guys related?

I got this one from Caroline, and I've stolen many answers from her, too. Who else wants to play? Consider yourself tagged...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? both my mother and my paternal aunt have my first name as their middle name. My middle name is my mother's maiden name.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? a few days ago, probably. I tear up really, really easily these days--sappy movies, thinking about Mariah's move west, frustration--you name it. I did not, however, cry at Twilight, I promise.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I do, but it's illegible to most. (Copied from Caroline!)

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Again I'm copying Caroline--it's bacon, though I don't eat it often.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes, a girl and a boy.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so!

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Trying to give it up, but it's hard.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No, why would I do that?

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? In warm weather, muesli; in colder weather, oatmeal, often with homemade granola, dried cranberries and milk.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I only wear lace-up shoes to work out, and I don't untie them when I take them off.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically, I'm a lot stronger than I used to be. Tae kwon do helps a lot.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything with coffee, chocolate, and things to chew in it.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Hair.

15. RED OR PINK? Deep pink or deep red. Often together.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Hmm, really? Right now I think it's my tendency to procrastinate.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Oh, so many people: Roxanne and Kristy, Abby, Caroline (but I'll see her next month).

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, but I'll enjoy reading the answers that turn up on other blogs.

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Trader Joe's vegetable medley soup with leftover rice in it.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Sports commentators, my father-in-law and Mark chatting.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Maroon

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? I used to live in between a laundromat and a sourdough bakery--that was hard to beat.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Mom.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I will watch almost any sport with a ball: basketball, baseball, football, tennis. No golf, though.

27. HAIR COLOR? Brown

28. EYE COLOR? Brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Used to; now, Lasik! (also stolen from Caroline!)

30. FAVORITE FOOD? dark chocolate, fresh-baked bread, summer pasta, winter squash and dark greens...

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. I can't watch scary stuff any more.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Twilight

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? silver-grey (I think of it as Caroline's color, though)

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? can't I choose spring? Or fall? This year, though, definitely summer.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Depends on who's giving them (another stolen answer).

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate guinness cake.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Freshhell is usually up for something like this...

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Who knows?

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? I'm re-reading Feed and A Christmas Carol to teach.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? We have an Edgar Allen Poe mousepad up by the "family computer."

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Nothing.

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Mariah singing, Nick laughing, summer rain, fire crackling in the hearth.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Kyoto, Japan--summer of 07.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Hmm, does re-reading books and still being surprised by the ending count as a special talent?

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Long Island.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Anybody who's interested

Things I've Done

Got this one from Ericka; you're tagged if you want to be!

Things I've done are bolded:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (no, but from above, in a plane)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (do student films count?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen (only when it's in my own church)
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (not all that fast, but on the freeway)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Not even half! I'm leading a sheltered life...

Some quizzes just aren't surprising at all...

Your result for Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test...

Linguistic

22% Logical, 16% Spatial, 75% Linguistic, 49% Intrapersonal, 18% Interpersonal, 27% Musical, 4% Bodily-Kinesthetic and 31% Naturalistic!

"Verbal-linguistic intelligence has to do with words, spoken or written. People with verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words and dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and via discussion and debate. They are also frequently skilled at explaining, teaching and oration or persuasive speaking. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages very easily as they have high verbal memory and recall, and an ability to understand and manipulate syntax and structure.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include writers, lawyers, philosophers, journalists, politicians and teachers." (Wikipedia)

Take Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test at HelloQuizzy

seen at Shaken and Stirred

Hmm, really?

I saw this on Spynotes, and it's way more interesting than anything I could dream up today. I'm skeptical, but then again, that's what the quiz results say, too. So maybe it's right?

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Marilyn!

You are a Marilyn -- "I am affectionate and skeptical."

Marilyns are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Be direct and clear


• * Listen to me carefully


• * Don't judge me for my anxiety


• * Work things through with me


• * Reassure me that everything is OK between us


• * Laugh and make jokes with me


• * Gently push me toward new experiences


• * Try not to overreact to my overreacting.

What I Like About Being a Marilyn

• * being committed and faithful to family and friends


• * being responsible and hardworking


• * being compassionate toward others


• * having intellect and wit


• * being a nonconformist


• * confronting danger bravely


• * being direct and assertive

What's Hard About Being a Marilyn

• * the constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind


• * procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself


• * fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of


• * exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger


• * wishing I had a rule book at work so I could do everything right


• * being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations

Marilyns as Children Often

• * are friendly, likable, and dependable, and/or sarcastic, bossy, and stubborn


• * are anxious and hypervigilant; anticipate danger


• * form a team of "us against them" with a best friend or parent


• * look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel


• * are neglected or abused, come from unpredictable or alcoholic families, and/or take on the fearfulness of an overly anxious parent

Marilyns as Parents

• * are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty


• * are sometimes reluctant to give their children independence


• * worry more than most that their children will get hurt


• * sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

unspectacular

Claudia at FreshHell not only gave me an award, she tagged me for a meme! I haven't done one in a while, so here goes... I am to tell you six unspectacular things about me.

1. I am becoming one of those women who wears comfortable shoes. I love cute shoes (I spent far too much of the late 70s/early 80s in Candies--like these--which probably tells you more about me than I want it to) but my feet no longer do. In the summer I can get by with various kinds of sandals that don't scrunch me in too much, but winter shoes are particularly difficult. So I'm especially happy that I found these and something sort of like these (but, I think, cuter) today, on sale.

2. To my great surprise, I am enjoying a 7 am fitness class I'm taking twice a week.

3. I spend way more time playing WordTwist than I should. (Word games on facebook are somehow more addictive than any other kind. Why is that?)

4. When I was younger (yes, back in those Candies days) I sometimes imagined myself in a backup band. I never wanted to be the lead singer, but I'd have loved to stand behind the band and sing "doo-wop." Or something. I still think it would be fun.

5. I read too fast and therefore don't retain what I read very well. The advantage here is that I'm rarely bored when I reread a novel. I can also claim to have read many, many, books, as I have turned all the pages in them quickly and, for a brief moment, known what was on the pages. The disadvantages, especially for someone who teaches literature, are obvious.

6. I will eat granola for breakfast every day, as long as it's the granola I've made and there's some kind of fruit to put on it. (It's too easy to make granola--check out Caroline's recipe here, which is an adaptation of the same Nigella recipe that I also adapt, somewhat differently. She no longer uses the applesauce, but I do, for example--however, I skip the dried fruit and slice up a peach or a banana on my own bowlful.)

I'm supposed to tag folks, but really, just do it if you want. Six things. Not spectacular. Go.

Firsts

Snagged this from Susan, though I know Violeta and Dawn have done it as well...


1. Who was your first prom date? I went to my junior prom without a date. Before you feel sorry for me, you should know that 1)my school didn't have a prom tradition, so it was no big deal and 2) most of us went without dates. My dress was hideous, though--think low-end Gunne Sax.

2. Do you still talk to your first love? Nope. We last saw each other at a high school reunion (we didn't date in high school, though), the summer right after he got married and right before I did. We had chosen a lot of the same music and that seemed somehow significant. (Oh, my goodness, that was over twenty years ago!)

3. What was your first alcoholic drink? Either a vodka tonic or a rum and coke.

4. What was your first job? I worked as a day-camp counselor the summers after seventh and eighth grade, and decided that I was not cut out for child-care work. I still haven't quite gotten over it.

5. What was your first car? 1982 Ford Escort, bought new right after I graduated from college. I learned how to drive a stick shift getting it home from the dealer.

6. Who was the first person to text you today? Nobody. I get about three texts a year, all from Mariah.

7. Who is the first person you thought of this morning? Mariah.

8. Who was your first grade teacher? Miss Hirooka, at Nishimachi International School.

9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? When we moved to Japan in the winter of 1966.

10. Who was your first best friend, and are you still friends with him/her? My first best friend was Traci K, in Tokyo. Her family later moved to California and I met up with her once when I was living there right before grad school; it was something of a disaster. We couldn't figure out what we had in common anymore.

11. What was your first sport played? Sport? What is this sport you speak of?

12. Where was your first sleepover? Jo-Ann S, 4th grade. It was her birthday party, and it was a Friday during Lent, when I had given up chocolate and all kinds of other things that were served. I called home in tears and my parents said it was ok to eat what I was offered, that I shouldn't worry about it. Then I felt a little embarrassed for making a scene, but the choclate cake was really good and I got over it.

13. Who was the first person you talked to today? Mariah. "Your alarm went off fifteen minutes ago. It's time to get up."

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time? Mine. I've been in three or four since then, though.

15. What was the first thing you did this morning? Woke Mariah up.

16. What was the first concert you ever went to? I think it was Jackson Browne, the "Running on Empty" tour, summer of 1978.

17. What was your first tattoo or piercing? My mother pierced my ears for me when I was in sixth grade. The left one was off-center, and she re-pierced it a year later; both holes are still open.

18. What was the first foreign country you went to? Japan when I was almost five.

19. What was your first run-in with the law? Hmm, a speeding ticket in 1982 or 3, maybe?

20. When was your first detention? I never had detention.

21. What was the first state you lived in? New York.

22. Who was the first person to break your heart? I don't think anyone's ever broken my heart, thankfully. A couple of bumps and bruises; I've been very lucky.

23. Who was your first roommate? Betsy H, at Kent. Her sister was a senior and that somehow meant she was too cool for me. Or something.

24. Where did you go on your first limo ride? I don't remember ever riding in a limo.

How'd I do?

Caution: Not very interesting post about my life, ahead...

Since I noted below on the random things meme all the things I'd be doing this past weekend, I thought I should see how I did.

Not too well.

I did get the laundry done. And I did some knitting and watching sports (boring Mavericks game, alas). And I did actually get the PTSA newsletter out, too, despite receiving a last-minute update from one of my student correspondents after I'd already sent it on to the tech guy to post on the web. But the financial aid and tax forms? I didn't touch them. Didn't touch my ChLA reading, either, though I have a book and a half to finish by Thursday.

The really good news of the weekend, though, was that I seem to have dodged Nick's cold. He spent both Friday and today home from school with it, and didn't leave the house all weekend, but so far (fingers crossed) no one else is sick. We are all, however, sick of Sponge Bob. Me especially.

Today I got back to the financial aid forms and they will be done tomorrow. And I think I have some more reading to do, now.

Random things meme

I got this from Susan--thanks!

1. Spell my name as it sounds: um, Libby

2. Am I a worrier? Yes. I worry much more than I regret. I like to think of it as insurance--if I worry, it won't happen. (This does not always work, btw.)

3. What’s my favorite CD? Right now I'm listening a lot to James Taylor's "One Man Band," but I always come back to Hem's "Rabbit Songs."

4. Favorite colour(s)? Anything in the red-purple-pink family.

5. Does my home have an attic? Yes. It's Mariah's room.

6. Have I ever been to Canada? Yes, several times. I spent part of my honeymoon there (waves to Susan!).

7. Have I ever gone fishing? As a kid at fish farms.

8. Have I ever seen a celebrity? Yes.

9. Have I ever been on a motorcycle? Yes, but when I tried to drive it myself I dumped it in the first thirty seconds and gave up.

10. How much money do I have on me right now? I'm in my pajamas right now, so nothing. But there's $70 and change in my wallet. (Soon to be depleted by Saturday allowances...)

11. How many cars have I owned? Seven. (Only one on my own--all the rest co-owned.)

12. How many jobs have I had? Six since graduating from college. Lots more before.

13. How tall am I? 5'7" and a bit.

14. Last person to call me: sigh. The Democratic Party of Virginia. Last one I talked to? Mariah.

15. Last thing I yelled out loud: "Supper's Ready!"

16. Last person I was in a car with: Nick and Mariah.

17. Last time I ate at McDonald’s: I can't remember.

18. Last thing I bought: Snacks for the kids at Starbucks.

19. Last person I saw: Nick.

20. Last time I cried: Last weekend, in frustration.

21. Last time I laughed: This morning at something Nick showed me.

22. What is the temperature outside? 34F.

23. What time of the day did I get married? Morning--around 10:30. (I don't like to wait.)

24. What did I do two nights ago? Choir rehearsal.

25. Who’s birthday is coming up next? Mine!

26. What time did I go to bed last night? Around 10pm--nice and early.

27. What was the first thing I thought this morning? I hope I haven't gotten Nick's cold.

28. What are my plans for this weekend? Read for the ChLA book award. Send out the PTSA newsletter. Finish the taxes and the financial aid forms. Laundry. Watch sports and knit.

29. Lemonade or iced tea? Lemonade.

30. What do I dislike at this moment? The mess on my dining room table which represents the unfinished financial aid forms.

31. What did I dream about last night? I don't remember.

32. What’s the last TV show I watched? Do sports count? The end of a boring game between the Orlando Magic and the Detroit Pistons.

33. What is my favorite piece of jewelry? Wedding ring.

34. Am I a dancer? Um, no.

35. Have I ever cut my own hair? Just my bangs.

36. What is my favorite treat? Time. And very dark chocolate. Red wine is ok, too.

37. How many piercings/tattoos do I have? My ears are pierced, with two holes on one side and one on the other. That's it.

38. Where’s my favorite place to be? It depends on my mood. The beach is always good, though.

39. Is there someone I haven’t seen in a while and miss? Yes, several! Mostly friends from college and grad school.

40. Who was the last text I sent to? Mariah.

41. Do I care what strangers think about me? More than I should, probably.

42. Last person I talked to on Instant Messenger: Sorry, I'm a dinosaur.

43. Last person to make me cry: That would be me.

44. Who can I tell anything to? Myself. That's what writing's for.

45. What am I doing tomorrow? Same as today--see #28.

46. Do I have alcohol in my home? A few bottles of wine, some bourbon, random liqueurs, sherry and brandy.

47. Do I like ketchup? On burgers and fries.

48. Do I think I will be on a vacation this summer? Yes! For at least a week--in France.

49. What colour is my master bathroom? Blue-green.

50. Do I wear a bikini at the beach? No, no, no.

51. Have I ever been to the Grand Canyon? I'm saying no here because I can't remember, and surely I would remember?

52. What is my favorite fruit? Fresh peaches in season--I'll eat one every day until they're out of season again. Really good pears when I can get them, which is not often enough.

53. What did I really want to do today? Sleep in. Breakfast in bed. Read something I don't have to.

54. Am I always cold? In the winter in my house, yes. I'm usually the wrong temperature, too hot in summer, too cold in winter.

55. Does it annoy me when someone says they’ll call or text, but don’t? Yes. A lot.

If you have a blog, feel free to do this one--or answer in the comments if you don't!

Photo Meme

Sam tagged me for this, and I was going to do it, and then I had computer problems, and they lasted all morning long. And into some of the afternoon. And in the end when everything was undone that had been done all morning long, everything worked again (I am just keeping quiet and crossing my fingers about that) and none of the chores I meant to do are done but I do have time for this. So here it is.

The idea is to post the first thing (or one of the first things) that comes up in a google image search when you search for the listed item.

1. My age at my next birthday2. Where I'd like to travel

3. My favorite place (one of them, anyway)
4. My favorite objects (yes, I got books and yarn into one picture)


5. My favorite food(s)
6. My favorite color
7. My nickname

8. Where I was born
If this seems like fun, consider yourself tagged!

Reading Meme

Caroline tagged me with this a while ago and it's taken me until now to get to it. I'm too busy procrastinating drafting working on a paper to be delivered in mid-November. But I have been working through a few novels lately, so I thought I'd give you a taste of the variety of my reading lately.

First, here are the rules:
"Open the book you’re currently reading to page 161, and post the fifth sentence on the page, then think of 5 bloggers to tag."

OK. I read Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go over the weekend, but I'm including it here to prove I do, on occasion, read books for adults. Though I must say, the premise of this novel is scarily like Nancy Farmer's The House of the Scorpion, published two years earlier as a children's novel. And, for what it's worth, I bought the Ishiguro novel used at Plato's Closet, a YA hangout if there ever was one.

Here's the fifth sentence on page 161:
"Well, she never got to make that decision because of what happened next."

Also in progress, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. This one's because I have a student working on an interesting honors thesis on female orphans in children's lit. Rebecca isn't technically an orphan--her mother's living--but she fits the template my student is working with so I'm re-reading the novel.

Page 161 only has four sentences, though, so here's the fourth:
"I wish you could take things easier, child; I am fearful for you sometimes."

(Side note on Rebecca: I'm reading an old paperback I picked up used, but it is one of several books available in the Charming Classics series, packaged along with a necklace. My student and I are amused at how many of the books she's writing about are available in this series: A Little Princess, The Secret Garden (the pendant is a key), Heidi, and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, at least--there are many more in the series, though.)

I'm also slowly working my way through Little, Big again. I first read this in college, when I had a chance to interview the author by phone (one of my first bylines). It's a lovely book, and I'm not quite sure why I'm going so slowly through it this time, but doing so makes much clearer to me all the intertextual references (to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, especially) that I missed the first time through.

Page 161, sentence 5: "I mean," Doctor Drinkwater said, reappearing beside him, "that every Christmas seems to follow immediately after the last one; all the months that came between don't figure in."

Nick and I are also working our way through Daniel Pinkwater's Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars (in his Five Novels). We took a little break for the World Series, but we'll be getting back to it soon.

Page 161, sentence 5: "In Alan's case, they would be so grateful he wasn't there, they weren't likely to look into the matter."

Finally, also on my bedside (along with an ever-growing stack of New Yorker magazines) is Jane Yolen's Take Joy: A Writer's Guide to Loving the Craft. I haven't gotten very far with it yet, but I am enjoying dipping into it occasionally. Here's the fifth sentence on page 161:

"I responded: "Every time an editor wants to talk about plots and depth, they bring in the old onion." Now doesn't that make you want to read more?

As for tagging five more--Life in Scribbletown already did it, even before I did; if you're reading it here, feel free!

conscious consumer

I'm feeling very much the conscious consumer these days, especially after our car-buying episode last week. When we left off, I was about to go buy a car, in the hopes that it would be like buying an appliance. Well, it sort of was and it sort of wasn't. Here's the short version: we went to CarMax, drove three cars, and bought the last. It was a fine little car, a bit over our budget but still affordable. And then we returned it.

Here's the conscious consumer part: we chose a used car on the theory that building a new car eats up a lot of resources, so if we could find an efficient (enough) used car we'd be doing the environment a favor. Makes sense, right? Besides, the whole point of selling the last car was to reduce expenses. But because we'd spent more money than we meant to, we began to experience almost immediate buyer's remorse. And... we have a neighbor with three cars. For years Mark has been asking if he wanted to sell us one--he is a meticulous maintenance guy, so we know it would be a good car. So when the buyer's remorse hit (and it hit pretty hard, though the car did look cute parked right out in front of the house) Mark went over to ask--again--if maybe he had a car to sell. And for once, he did. Not right now, but in about a month. And for much, much less than CarMax wanted for their (to be fair) much newer car.

It felt like a sign. Or at least a big relief.

So, after two days, we took advantage of the CarMax 5-day no questions asked return policy, and returned the car. And it took about 15 minutes (plus the drive, alas!).

All in all, an interesting experiment in conscious consumerism.

Now here are the rules for the meme (you've already seen this here and here and here...I'm late to the party!):
Pick a recent shopping trip -- for clothes, shoes, groceries, doesn't matter. The only guideline is that it will be easier to play if you purchased at least a few things.

Now tell us, about your purchases:

1. What are you proud of?
2. What are you embarrassed by?
3. What do think you couldn't live without?
4. What did you most enjoy purchasing?
5. What were you most tempted by? (This last one may or may not be an actual purchase!)


This is a grocery store trip from last week. Unlike Caroline, I go to the grocery store pretty often. Sometimes almost daily. I often go early in the morning, at about 7:30, right after I drop Mariah at her bus--it's less crowded, and the day-old bakery items are worth a look. I had a grocery list with me, but as usual I bought a lot of stuff I hadn't put on the list. Here's what I brought home:

• one box Annie's mac-n-cheese (we were gong out to dinner that night and it's a good bet for Nick when we're not home)
• one can Bustelo decaf espresso
• two cans full circle (local organic brand) organic black beans
• one box full circle golden flax cereal
• one large facial sponge
• one reusable shopping bag
• one box frozen crispy mini tacos
• one package boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3 large lemons
• 2 packages chocolate chip bagels (thrift items)
• 2 packages pita bread (thrift items)

So: I'm proud of the cereal. Mariah discovered recently that she likes it, and since she's experimenting with being vegan, I'm all about making sure she gets the nutrients she needs. Flax seeds provide omega-3 oils, more commonly found in fish. Yay.

I'm a little embarrassed by the reusable shopping bag, since I already have two (and two reusable bins, supplied by this very store) that I had forgotten to bring. But for a buck, I figured we could use a third one. And I am now trying to remember to store them in the car.

I couldn't live without the decaf. I love the taste of coffee but not the effects of caffeine, and this brand is relatively inexpensive and delightfully strong. Yum.

I'm not sure I enjoyed purchasing any one thing on this list more than any other. Mostly, I like going to the store in the morning. Most of the cashiers know me--by sight if not by name--and we chat a little over the thrift purchases and such and it feels a bit like home. That particular morning there was a not-too-muzaky remake of REM's "Rockville" playing, and it made me feel nostalgic.

I was tempted (this is so boring!) by various fancy face washes, and I had run out, but I didn't buy any because I wanted to check out what Mariah had. She used to inherit my castoffs (clothes, makeup, random cosmetic items) and now I inherit some of hers. Payback time!

So that's it for my conscious consumption. I'll tag anyone else who wants to play--and stay tuned, since Caroline just tagged me with a new meme!