Red Nose

Sunday Re-Stealing

I haven't done Sunday Stealing for quite a while, so here we go!

1. Have you ever peed your pants as an adult?

That's kind of a personal question, isn't it? Oh, what the heck -- I haven't completely peed my pants as an adult, but I've sneezed a few times with unfortunate results.

2. Who do you have a celebrity crush on now? 

Oh...I think it would have to be Chris Hemsworth (Thor!) for looks, and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister!) for smarts.

3. Would you date someone you met online? 

I'd have to be single first -- but in theory, sure.

4. Do you wear underwear always? 

Only when I'm awake.

5. Do you hate yourself at times?

No -- I've disliked myself quite a bit at various times in my life.

7. Do you like dirty movies?

Depends on the movie.

8. Could you believe Josha Ledet was voted off Idol?

Sorry, I have not watched a single minute of Idol this season. I'm pretty much over it.

9. When was the last time that you bought a car?

2005, when we bought Joe's Kia Sportage.

10. Have you ever been camping? 

Many times, starting when I was a Girl Scout. Then I camped a lot in college because my best pals were really into camping. And, I tend to consider my circus years as one big camping trip; after all, I lived in a van. (Down by the river.)

11. How many times a day do you go on facebook? 

Several. It would be probably be more if I got better phone reception at work!

12. What was the last movie you saw in a theater? 

The Avengers, today! I enjoyed it a lot; it didn't take itself too seriously, the explosions were good, and the heroes were very heroic.

13. Have you ever worried that you'd cut off a limb? 

No, can't say that I have. But thanks -- I probably will now.

14. Where did you get your last email from?

My older sister. We've been emailing about our outfits for an upcoming family wedding.

15. Favorite website? 

Let's see... I'll say NHL.com for now.

16. Are you down with ghetto? 

Yo, dawg, nah. And pull up your goddamn pants!

17. Will the world end in fire or ice?

Fire, I think. We'll either nuke ourselves or a big old asteroid will explode us.

18. Do you believe in the afterlife? 

I do not believe in heaven and hell as separate, physical places with God and Satan as the respective landlords. I am much more inclined to believe that our souls merge back into the universal mind, and may reincarnate many times, in many ways, in many places.

19. Would you be upset if facebook stopped working?

Maybe at first, but I'd get over it.

20. How did you start your blog?

I started it in 2002 as a weight loss blog. Ten years later, the weight is back, but the blog remains.

In My 'Hood

Today's photo prompt is "your neighborhood." We moved into this neighborhood in 1987, right close to SonnyeBoy's sixth birthday. We never meant to stay this long -- it was supposed to be a way station on the way to our "real" home.

We bought the place from a floor plan and a look at the lot, watched as it was built, and moved in to a brand new shiny place. We watched the saplings grow into actual trees, seen all of our neighbors move in, raise kids, and move out. We are the only original owners left in our little court.

The house came with a set of tiny bushes and a baby dogwood tree out front. The dogwood died; we replaced it with a nice fir tree that actually grew quite tall. The bushes burst out of control until an ice storm in the middle 90s laid them low; Joe yanked them out, all but one. He cut that one back to the ground and now it's grown all the way back. We learned our lesson and keep it trimmed to a manageable size.

We replaced all of the appliances except the stove. It still works fine, but a couple of the knobs have broken so have to set the oven to broil or bake with a pair of pliers. (Those knobs are expensive!) We've replaced the water heater, the A/C and heating system, and the roof. We've painted, repaired wood trim, and bought new windows for the upstairs.

Furniture has come and gone, gardens cats have been born and grown and struck out on their own, different cars have settled in our parking spaces. We've fought with the Homeowner's Association (aka Garden Police) and walked around the lakes and shoveled snow off the sidewalk and stoop.

We flirted with moving several years ago, but the housing bubble burst and we stayed put.

Somewhere along the line, our wee townhouse became our real home.

 

 

A New Wine

We stopped by the local Roots Market this evening to pick up milk.

And wine, and beer, and cheese, and brownies. You know, the essentials.

I was hoping that the store might have my favorite wine; alas, they did not. They did have another nice wine, a Vin de Jus ice wine from Elk Run winery, but that stuff is 30 bucks a bottle! However cute little Jimmy helped me out. He asked me why I like my favorite wine; I told him because it tastes exactly like concord grapes. As we lingered by the ice and dessert wines, he pointed out a chocolate red wine (woo!), but I demurred.

"I can't do reds," I said.

"Oh, why not?" he asked, all innocence.

"They give me hot flashes," I replied, unashamed.

He blushed a little, poor lad, but recovered quickly and said, "Well, that's not good!"

Then he recommended another white, Quattro Mani toh-kai, made entirely from the tocai grape. He told me it tasted like a Granny Smith apple; we shall see!

Joe, meanwhile, selected Skull Splitter, an ale from the Orkney Brewery and a good choice for a raw, rainy night.

I took advantage of the location to take my photo for today -- the theme is "Fruit."

 

I like fruit. I think it's very handy that wine is made from fruit; it makes fruit easy to consume! And right about now, my toh-kai should be nicely chilled.

In Like a Lamb

Wow, what a beautiful day! It was full of sunshine, light breezes, and 70 degrees -- pretty nice for March 1! Turns out that last month was the fourth warmest February on record for this area; meterological winter (December, January, and February) was the third warmest winter on record.

This does not bode particularly well for a nice, dry, cool summer, but I will take it for today and be glad.

I managed to complete the February Photo-A-Day challenge, even though I didn't post all of them here. They all made it to Facebook and Twitter; the ones that I actually thought were decent photos made it to Flickr. So, to challenge myself a little more, I'm going to do the March version. And, I'm going to post each photo here with a little riff on the photo.

I'm trying to get my mojo going. It's harder than I thought it would be, but days like this give me hope.

Maybe things are looking UP -- the theme for today!

A Letter to My Mom, from My Pop at War

Today's prompt for the February Photo-A-Day is "Handwriting." When I saw that prompt, I knew exactly what I wanted to post -- this snippet from a letter that my Pop sent to my Mom while he was at sea during World War II.

Only one page remains of this letter, but it makes me teary every time I read it. I know Pop's handwriting isn't the most legible, so here is a transcript of the last paragraph.

Don't get worried if you don't hear from me because it may be quite a time before I can write post another letter but will mail one at every opportunity, however don't feel that because you don't hear from me that I don't love you and you keep right on writing. So until the next letter don't forget I love you dearly and miss you so very very much. Joe

(Yes, my Pop's name was Joe.)

Ten AM

This photo is my Day 5 shot for the February Photo a Day project. The prompt is 10 am.

I confess -- I cheated a little bit. I did not take this picture at 10 am; I set the hands of the clock to that time.

I inherited this clock from my mom. It originally belonged to my gramma; she received it as a wedding present in 1907. It's a Seth Thomas clock and still keeps very good time as long as it's kept wound up. It also chimes the hour as long as that part is wound up.

When my gramma moved in with us, she kept this clock on top of the piano, where she could see it from her chair. At one point, she got fitted for a hearing aid. As soon as the technician turned it on, she looked up at the clock and exclaimed, "Why, that clock hasn't ticked in years!"

Um, not so much, Gramma!

Oh, and that photo album? My mom got it as a gift from a nice old gent who dated her after my pop died. He was in his 90s; Mom was in her 80s. She liked him well enough and even let him take her on a cruise to Bermuda! She was very clear that the cabin had to have two beds, too. After the cruise, she dumped him. He had had an embarrassing "accident" at one point, and Mom decided she had already spent quite enough time cleaning up after sick old men. But she kept the photo album, and put that picture of her and my pop right on the cover.

Way to go, Mom!

 

Catching Up: February Photo a Day

I've decided -- two days into it -- to participate in the February Photo a Day project. It seems like a fun way to take pictures and maybe, just maybe, spark some creativity in other areas of my life.

I must admit that editing software job aids is not doing it for me just now. Sue me.

I'll be taking all of the photos with my iPhone, and posting them all over cyberspace: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr... by God, everywhere!

Anyway, the prompt for Day 1 is "Your view today". Actually, this is my view pretty much every weekday, so... here you go.

Now for Day 2. The prompt is "Words". Hmm, did I mention I'm editing a bunch of software job aids just now? Well, I won't post a shot of that work, because it's not public info yet and I'm fond of my job, but here's a shot of a bunch of other words.

And finally, Day 3: Hands. Care for a bite of apple?

Okay, I'm caught up. For now.

 

 

Unconscious Mutterings, At Long Last

I have not done Unconscious Mutterings in a very very long time, but there's no time like the present!

In this meme, you're supposed to write the first thing that comes to mind upon reading the word -- kind of an online word association.

(Once upon a time, I took a suite of aptitude tests that included word association. The tester gave me a bunch of words and I responded with my first thought. One of the words was "ham," to which I replied "what am," because my Pop always always always referred to that particular pork product as "Ham What Am." Naturally, I had to see where he stole  heard that particular phrase. I am not surprised by this result, knowing my Pop.)

But I digress. On with the Mutterings!

 I say, and you think:

1. Every day :: In every way
2. Rinsed :: Repeated
3. Funeral :: Home
4. Whitening :: Brightening
5. I am :: That I am
6. Cooperate :: Collaborate
7. Blazer :: Chevy
8. Valley :: Forge
9. Difficult :: Hard
10. Service :: Entrance

Okay, that just goes to show that I am... something or other. I think it says something about my fashion sense that I thought of a truck before I thought of a jacket with "blazer." Associating "funeral" with "home" is kinda macabre, but at least the "I am" -- "That I am"  pairing is spiritual.

Back to Work; Back on the Net

I think this might the longest that I have gone without an entry! Our internet has been out at home; I could get online by using my phone's mobile hotspot feature, but it's soooooo slow. I know. I know! I remember the days when a 14400 modem was blazing fast. I have such first-world problems.

Anyway, I'm back at work after my Thanksgiving vacation (which was great), so I am stealing a little time before I head home to post -- a Sunday Stealing meme!

It seemed appropriate. My dozen readers have probably forgotten me. Alas! (Heh.)

Here goes.

1. Why did you sign up for writing your blog? I started Red Nose on Diary-X in 2002, when I was on a weight-loss kick. I purposely did not name it something weight-lossy because I figured it would morph into more than a weight-loss blog. I was right.

2. Why did you choose your blog's name? What does it mean? I chose Red Nose as a nod to my sordid past as a circus clown.

3. Did you ever have another blog? Not at the moment. I have "placeholder" blogs at Blogger and Livejournal, but they're just there to direct people here. I also sort of run a blog for the DC juggling club, the US Department of Juggling, but there's about an inch of dust on it.

4. What do you do online when you're not on your blog? Check Facebook, shop, read other blogs and forums, catch up on hockey scores, pay bills. The usual stuff of cyber life! 

5. How about when you're not on the computer? Watch TV, listen to music, occasionally clean up, bake, read, sleep. The usual stuff of non-cyber life!

6. What do you wish people who read your blog knew about you? I'm really Queen of England.

7. What is your favorite community in the blogosphere? I love participating in Holidailies. I've been pretty consistent on that one! I also like the NaNoWriMo community, even though I was MIA this year.

8. What is your philosophy on your blog layout? I picked this Typepad template because it's fairly circus-y and seems to fit in with the title. Other than that, I don't really have a layout philosophy. I do, however, have a layabout philosophy. (I think it's good.)

9. Tell me about your picture you use to represent you on your blog. The lovely and talented Weetabix took the picture at Weetacon II. It's one of the best pictures of me, ever. I reddened up the nose with Photoshop and that was that!

10. Pick 3 random blogs from your blogroll and tell us about them. First: Funny the World, by Bev Sykes, is one of the first blogs I ever started reading. When I was considering putting my thoughts online, I was googling around, started reading a few online journals, and found that Bev's was linked to a lot of them. I started reading her, realized that we had lots of things in common, and an online friendship was born! Second: xtcian, by Ian Williams, is a wonderful blog. Ian is a scriptwriter. He has a gorgeous family, takes marvelous photos, and is a rabid fan of Tar Heels basketball. After the 2000 election, he proposed the formation of American Coastopia, a sentiment with which I heartily agreed. Finally, for beautiful, lyrical writing and wonderful photography, read Candy Sandwich, written by Kristin. I met Kristin a couple of years ago (maybe three?) at a DC bloggers get together, and I've been loving her writing ever since.

11. What features do you think your blog should have that it doesn't currently? I really can't think of any. Oh wait... how about an automatic updater thingy that would automagically transfer my deep thoughts from my brain to the blog?

12. What do you consider the 10 most "telling" interests that we would infer from what you blog persona? I'm a hockey fan. I love the ocean. I miss my mother. I write. I have a weird sense of humor. I juggle. I love my family. I enjoy travelling. I take a lot of pictures. I tend to get very involved in something, do it a lot for awhile, then gradually lose interest.

13. Do you have any unique interests that you have never shared before? What are they? For awhile I was really into origami, particularly modular origami. That started when Joe asked for a dodecahedron for Christmas and lasted until... oh, about 2002 or so.

14. The best thing about blogging is all of the friends that you make, Beside from those folks, do you think your blog has fans? Thousands and thousands! They're just exceedingly quiet. (Heh.)

15. What's your current obsession? What about it captures your imagination? I am having a lot of fun learning to play silly tunes on the ukulele. One day I shall take lessons to unlearn everything I have taught myself and then learn to play correctly.

16. What are you glad you did but haven't really had a chance to post about? I had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at my cousin's home in Annapolis. SonnyeBoy was able to come and that made it extra special. I shall expound on this later this week. Promise!

17. How many people that first became a blog friend, have you met face to face? Lots, mostly thanks to Journalcon and Weetacon, but also independently of those gatherings. I think the first blog friend that I met face to face was the lovely and talented Melinda, at Journalcon 2004.

18. What don't you talk about here, either because it's too personal or because you don't have the energy? My sex life. (How's that for a provocative answer?)

19. What's a question that you'd love to answer? I would love to answer the following question with an enthusiastic YES: Would you like a million dollars?

20. Have you ever lost a blogging friendship and regretted it? Not really. I don't read as many as I used to, but I do check back with them every once in awhile.

21. Have you ever lost a blogging friendship and thought, “Was that overdue!” Nope. I'm glad for that!

TV Addict's Meme

I got this one from Bev, who got it from...

Oh, you know the drill. Anyway, when I saw this meme, I knew it was just my cup of TV.

1. Name a TV show series in which you've seen every episode at least twice:
Law and Order, for sure; but also Seinfeld, Star Trek TOS, and Fawlty Towers.

2. Name a show you couldn't miss:
At the moment, Boardwalk Empire. During my youth, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. All the girls were in love with Illya Kuryakin!

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show: 
Chris Noth, Hugh Laurie, Connie Britton (even though I have yet to catch American Horror Story), Tina Fey, Kyle Chandler, Steve Buscemi, James Gandolfini, Vincent D'Onofrio, Sean Bean...the list goes on and on! 

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show:
Anyone named "Kardashian", although that's stretching the term "actor" quite a bit.

5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from: 
Seinfeld, The Simpsons, The Kids in the Hall, Saturday Night Live, Monty Python's Flying Circus 

6. Name a show you like that no one else that you know enjoys:
It's Alway Sunny In Philadelphia, except that's not really true. SonnyeBoy turned us on to Always Sunny, and now both Joe and I watch it.

7. Name a TV show which you’ve been known to sing the theme song:
Gilligan's Island, Malcolm in the Middle, Friends, Cheers.

8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch:
See #6.  Also, if you like cars at all -- or even if you just like fun shows -- the UK version of Top Gear.

9. Name a TV series you own:
The Sopranos, Seasons 1 and 2 and Friday Night Lights, Season 1.

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting choices in television:
Hugh Laurie

11. What is your favorite episode of one your favorite series?
"The Son" from Season 4 of Friday Night Lights.

12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven’t gotten around to yet.
Mad Men. I'm think I'm out of luck on that one -- it would be too hard to catch up.

13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad?
Not really -- I stop watching more because I lose interest rather than because a show is bad.  

14. Name a show that’s made you cry multiple times:
Friday Night Lights, without a doubt. 

15. What do you eat when you watch TV?
We eat dinner in front of the TV. And snacks. We don't discriminate! 

16. How often do you watch TV?
Every damn day. What? 

17. What’s the last TV show you watched?
A rerun of The Tudors on BBC America. I fell asleep during it, then finally woke up an hour later during a different episode.

18. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of TV?
Comedy, but good ones are hard to find.

19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with?
Captain Kangaroo. It was my go-to show when I little!

20. What TV show do you wish you never watched?
Fear Factor. I only watched one episode, and that was plenty. I see it's coming back -- gah!

21. What’s the weirdest show you enjoyed?
Carnivale -- but it got a bit too weird, even for me. 

22. What was the single most memorable progam you ever saw on TV?
The moon landing. 

23. What TV show scared you the most?
This one's a tie between The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

24. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched?
Fawlty Towers. Every episode was a gem. 

25. What show was canceled too early into its run?
Friday Night Lights. Yeah, I know there were five seasons, but I still think it got canceled too soon.