Saturday Quizzinating

Yup, like a fly to a bugzapper light, I am drawn to this dull quiz which I found at Antick Musings. What can I say? I like the quizzes. (Some of these questions are time-specific, so for reference, I'm writing this at about 9:30 am on Saturday morning.)

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?

Ummmm...oh good, we brought The Daughter in from the car last night, so that's good. For now, there's an old computer monitor there, as well as some other assorted detritus because I tend to be very lax in cleaning out the car.

2. When was the last time you threw up?

I don't remember, really. It was probably sometime in the last couple of years when I ate something that disagreed with me. (I've only twice in my life booted from too much alcohol consumption, and the most recent of these was almost ten years ago.)

3. What's your favorite curse word?

I hate to admit this, but I get an awful lot of mileage out of the F-bomb. This may be my worst habit.

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?

Well, it's a new day, so I only have two: The Wife and The Daughter. Lots of folks at work made me smile yesterday, though. I like my coworkers. My coworkers rule.

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?

Basking in the warmth of a cozy bed on a cold winter morning. And then I was getting up to make coffee.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?

Getting dressed, most likely.

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?

Eating lunch and doing a final check of the cupboards and fridge for our grocery needs. (Saturday is grocery shopping day at Casa Jaquandor.)

8. Have you ever been to a strip club?

Wow, now there's a sudden shift in topics! No, I have not, and I honestly have no desire at all to go to one. I don't have a problem with their existence, but I'm just not curious at all about that whole scene.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?

"That's not mine! I'm just holding it for a friend!"

Yup, that's what I actually said out loud, about four minutes ago. The Wife is tidying up the kitchen area and she found a paper bag I'd brought home that has inside two ziploc baggies filled with...loose tea. A friend at work gave me some loose tea she had at home when I told her that I'd bought a nifty single-serve loose tea brewing contraption.

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?

Coffee Haagen-Dasz.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?

Wow. Just before I answered this question I drained my coffee cup.

12. What are you wearing right now?

A blue long-sleeve t-shirt under a blue short-sleeve henley shirt, with both of those under my usual blue overalls. Blue is the order of the day, I guess.

13. What was the last thing you ate?

A brownie, for dessert last night. I haven't eaten anything yet today. I tend to make lunch my first meal on Saturdays, for some reason.

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?

No, but I will later today. I need new shoes for work, and maybe a new belt. (A shorter belt! I'm getting smaller! Yay me!)

15. When was the last time you ran?

No idea. I don't like running. At the Y, my favorite cardio machines are the recumbent bikes. (I love me some walking, though, and its more strenuous cousin, hiking. Maybe this summer I'll do some more hiking.)

16. What's the last sporting event you watched?

Super Bowl XLII. I'm still basking in its afterglow.

This is generally the least interesting time of the year for me as a sports fan, and since I'm becoming less of a sports fan with each passing year, it only gets more so, although hockey's interesting me again the last couple of years, owing to the Sabres. Try as I might, I just don't like watching basketball, which means that the NBA is lost on me and the NCAA Tournament also doesn't appeal to me, despite the fact that it probably offers its fans more great stories than just about any of our major periodic sports events, with the possible exception of the Olympics.

I don't get excited for baseball anymore, since the Pirates are showing no signs of ever being any kind of competitive franchise any time in the near future. The best thing about this time of year, sports-wise? Figure skating's championships.

What happened to 17?

It's being held for ransom in Tel Aviv.

18. Who is the last person you emailed?

Probably The Wife.

19. Ever go camping?

Not in many moons. It's something we always say we need to do, and then somehow we never actually do it. Weird.

20. Do you have a tan?

It's February in Buffalo. So no. (It's a bright sunny morning, though.)

Ok, now what happened to 21, 22 & 23????

They were probably embarrassing questions that a former quiz-taker didn't feel like answering. I'll bet they had to do with The Dirty.

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?

At restaurants, no. But I do use a straw with my Big Gulp from 7-11.

25. What did your last IM say?

I don't remember; it's been a long while since I did any IM'ing. Usually my online time doesn't seem to coincide with friends of mine being online at the same time.

26. Are you someone's best friend?

I hope I'm The Wife's best friend.

27. What are you doing tomorrow?

Church, a bit of laundry (maybe, if I don't get it done tonight), the weekly Running of the Vacuum, maybe a jaunt to the Y (although I suspect I won't be able to fit that in), some writing and reading. Oh, and yeah, I'm watching that Knight Rider remake.

28. Where is your mom right now?

So I take it this quiz was created by a teenybopper? I have no idea where my mother is right now. She lives seventy miles away.

29. Look to your left, what do you see?

Books, several teetering stacks of CDs, my original personal CD player (purchased in 1994) that actually died a few weeks ago (snif snif), a wall sconce with a candle, a wall calendar featuring Arthurian-themed paintings, and various Star Wars toys.

30. What color is your watch?

Mostly brown with a digital readout.

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia?

Huh?! Anyway, I think if Steve Irwin. Crikey!

32. Would you consider plastic surgery?

If I was in some kind of bad accident that made it necessary for having a normal life, yes. But as a "Geez, I'd surely achieve internal piece and harmony if only I had a more lantern-like jawline", then no.

33. What is your birthstone?

Sapphire. My wife has my birthstone on her wedding ring, and I have hers (amethyst) on mine.

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?

Usually I go in.

35.How many kids do you want?

Three: the one I have, plus the two I lost.

36. Do you have a dog?

No.

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?

The Wife, probably; or a co-worker, since The Store has an extensive phone system.

38. Have you met anyone famous?

I've exchanged e-mails with Guy Gavriel Kay. That's about the most famous person with whom I've had any personal contact. (Well, I've also met the people whose name is actually on the front of The Store. They're famed in the business.)

39. Any plans today?

The Daughter has a party at church, and then grocery shopping and a trip to Target for non-grocery stuff that we need.

40. How many states have you lived in?

Pennsylvania, Oregon (three times), Wisconsin, West Virginia, New York, Iowa (counted for my college attendance).

41. Ever go to college?

Yes. Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa. Class of 1993. BA in Philosophy with a minor in music.

42. Where are you right now?

My desk at Casa Jaquandor.

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?

Too much apartment clutter, but we've been slowly attacking this problem, a little at a time. Not getting enough writing done.

44. Last song listened to?

"Drink Up Me Hearties", from the score to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. This is one of Hans Zimmer's best scores. (Zimmer is an extremely controversial figure in film music fandom, but while I have some problems with his approach, I tend to like his music, undemanding though it tends to be.)

46. Are you allergic to anything?

Arsenic. That stuff can kill me.

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?

I don't have favorite shoes, although I use my hiking boots for most events that require shoes. I have a separate pair of boots for work (which I'm replacing today), and a pair of tennis shoes for walking and workouts at The Y (I'll probably replace these sometime this spring). Also, I really need a new pair of Birkenstocks. That I don't currently own Birks bothers me. What kind of pseudo-hippie can I be, if I don't own Birkenstocks?

48. Are you jealous of anyone?

Yes. I'm not naming names, though, because that would be rude. So I'll just link his blog. Yeah, I'm green with envy for that guy. Harumph!!!

50. Is anyone jealous of you?

I can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would be.

51. What time is it?

Ten eighteen in the morning.

52. Do any of your friends have children?

Many of them do.

53. Do you eat healthy?

Not all the time, but much more than I used to. I have fallen in love with crusty bread dipped in extra virgin olive oil, so much so that I may never consume buttered bread again unless it happens to come with dinner at a restaurant.

54. What do you usually do during the day?

On weekdays, I work. On weekends, I don't.

55. Do you hate anyone right now?

I swear, this question must be required for every Internet quiz-thing, along with "What are you wearing". Weird. My stock answer applies: I don't like to hate. Loathe? Sure. Find contemptuous? Yup. Hold in minimal high regard? Absolutely. But hate? Nope.

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?

Maybe not the exact word, but variants thereof, such as "Yo!" or "Howdy!" or "Hey!" or "Hi there!" I also like the "man in Jerry's girlfriend's belly button" voice from that one episode of Seinfeld:



58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?

Thirty seven.

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?

In a way: I went to Darien Lake (Western New York's main amusement park) before it became a Six Flags park. But it was only a Six Flags park for a few years, and now it's no longer associated with their brand. (I wasn't terribly impressed with Darien Lake, by the way. For me the Gold Standard amusement park is Cedar Point. I don't expect rides at parks to all rise to the Disney level of atmosphere, where every ride is almost completely self-contained in its own "universe", but Darien Lake was, for me, pretty devoid of atmosphere or theme. It just felt like a bunch of rides. Fun rides, sure, but just a bunch of rides.)

60. How did you get one of your scars?

I have a scar on my chin from where I fell off my bike when I was in second grade, and my chin met the concrete of the sidewalk. Much blood, and to this day it's the only time I've had to have stitches.

And there it is. Why do I do these quizzes? Why can I not resist their siren call? Why oh Why!