Sunday Seven - What's On My Mind

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Name seven things on your mind today.

Either answer the question in a comment or answer it in your journal and include the link in a comment. (To be considered “first to play,” a link must be to the specific entry in which you answered the question.) You may include this link in the URL space when leaving your comment, or in the comment itself. As long as it’s there in one spot or the other.

1. Saturday was the 16th anniversary of the day Mark proposed to me. Yes, that's right, he chose the most romantic day of the year: Groundhog Day. He also hadn't gotten around to shopping for a ring yet, so he instead gave me packets of "engagement ketchup" from Wendy's. Just drips with sentiment, doesn't it? But it was one of my best days ever, because it was the day when I became the luckiest woman on Earth.
2. The writers strike is hurting me in a very real, physical way. I have only myself to blame, though, for allowing my TV dependence to grow to such epic proportions. I will probably need medication if I find out that the continuing strike will cut short the final season of Scrubs. Not fair! And I miss all my other shows, too...
3. I can't hold my liquor like I used to back in the day.
   
4. Do I come off as a racist? Or a xenophobe? Because people keep forwarding me the most vile, reprehensible trash, including the well-known Barack Obama slimefest email and lots of similarly sleazy attacks on others, such as immigrants (even those who are here quite legally). As shocking as the content is, I'm not surprised that it's out there - unfortunately, there are plenty of small-minded, mean-spirited buffoons out there to circulate this garbage. What really concerns me is the fact that this crap keeps appearing in my inbox... What on earth would make anyone who has ever met me think that I would appreciate this sort of bile? Does anyone out there really think I'm that small? The thought of it saddens me.
5. It would be nice if I could get all my Christmas decorations put away before Lent begins this Wednesday...
6. Universal healthcare needs to happen soon. And I don't just mean that everyone has to buy a policy - I'm talking full-on socialized medicine, that treats and bills every patient equally, no matter what their job happens to be or how much money they have.
7. I wish Mark & I could take a real vacation sometime soon... We will hopefully get to go away together at some point this year, but I really think he needs it right now.
   

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

This clip, while highly entertaining, has tremendous capacity for bodily damage if watched incorrectly. So here are some ground rules:

• Do not eat or drink anything while watching. The probability of choking or snorting liquids through your nose is quite high.
• Make sure your bladder is as empty as possible prior to viewing. I missed this step myself, which resulted in lots of embarrassment and extra laundry duty.
• Don't view this clip in the company of anyone who enjoys Fox News. Your inevitable amusement just might push them over the edge.

I think that will suffice. So, here is Keith Olbermann's Worst Persons segment from this past Friday, January 25th:

Saturday Six

I don't know why, but I thought I'd give the Saturday Six from Patrick's Place a shot this week...

Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal…but either way, leave a link to your journal so that everyone else can visit! To be counted as “first to play,” you must be the first player to either answer the questions in a comment or to provide a complete link to the specific entry in your journal in which you answer the questions. A link to your journal in general cannot count. Enjoy!

1. You go to a restaurant and order alcohol: based on past experience, how likely are you to be carded? (Are you of legal drinking age?)

Not very likely. I do still get carded at the grocery occasionally, though. And yes, I am well above the legal drinking age.

2. You’re selecting a new physician and you learn that the doctor you are visiting is in his twenties: would you feel any less confident about his ability?

Not at all. In my experience, younger doctors are more likely to really listen to what patients have to say & go the extra mile to treat them. I might have to call him Doogie, though.

3. One must be 35 years old or older to run for president. Based on arguments about experience, should the age be increased to 45? Why or why not?

No... I've always felt that the random Constitutional age requirements were arbitrary and a bit silly. There should be a mandatory IQ test instead - like a Presidential SAT.

4. Take the quiz: What age do you act?

You Act Like You Are 27 Years Old

You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

5. When you were in high school, what age, in your opinion, qualified someone as being “old?”

Oh, probably retirement age, which at that point was around 55.

6. Do you find yourself better relating to people older than you or younger than you? (Sorry, your same age group isn’t an option in this one!)

It depends on the situation. Physically, I definitely identify with people older than I am, due to all my medical issues. Psychologically, I often identify with younger people, since I don't have any kids or a career.

I'm SO Tagged!

I've been sorta lurking around my usual haunts in the blogosphere for the past few days, catching up on everyone's recent posts and trying to get myself back into the flow. I keep wanting to jump back in, but I just haven't felt really inspired to say a whole lot. Not too surprising, I suppose. I think I'm still feeling a bit shell-shocked.

So I take it as a sign from above that my good friend Saoirse Daily2 tagged me on her blog today. I think maybe it's just the nudge I needed to get my act together...

Hopefully it will also get my creative juices flowing again, if only to a slow trickle.

So here are my answers:

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD:
1. Customer Service Representative (head teller) at a bank
2. Medical Records chart prep for a neurology practice
3. Flavored popcorn vendor at a local mall
4. Market research for a local radio station

FOUR MOVIES WATCHED OVER AND OVER:
1. Garden State
2. The Godfather (mostly 1 and 2, but sometimes 3)
3. Shaun of the Dead
4. Just Friends

FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. Indianapolis, IN
2. Muncie, IN
3. Beech Grove, IN
4. Loehne, Germany (for, like, 3 weeks)

FOUR SHOWS I WATCH:
1. Scrubs
2. Flight of the Conchords
3. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
4. The Colbert Report

FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN:
1. Gatlinburg, TN
2. Munich, Germany
3. San Antonio, TX
4. Cleveland, OH

FOUR PEOPLE WHO EMAIL ME:
1. Laura
2. Ali
3. Cindy
4. Patty

FOUR FAVORITE THINGS TO EAT:
1. Mu shu shrimp at Lotus Garden
2. Club sandwich
3. Fish & chips from Claddagh, with a Guinness
4. Sauerbraten with red cabbage

FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE:
1. Anywhere with a beach, good weather & not too many nasty bugs
2. Bavaria
3. Ireland
4. Disney World

FOUR THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR
1. Taking a real vacation with Mark
2. Electing a REAL president this November! (knock wood...)
3. The end of the writers strike
4. Good health & happiness for everyone I know

FOUR PEOPLE TO TAG:
1. Laura
2. Repressed One
3. Gidge
4. Effrenatus

Select A Candidate

Sorry for my prolonged absence from the blogosphere... As you know, we had a death in the family recently, so things have been a bit more hectic than usual around here. I'm going to try to get back in the saddle over the next few days.

Warm thanks to all of you who expressed your sympathy for our loss & offered your support in our time of need. Please know that your kindness is greatly appreciated.

So, on to business... I came across this quiz on Patrick's Place, and thought it might be fun to post here. As usual, my answers matched me with Dennis Kucinich - which would be fine, if he had even a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected. *sigh*

Jack Raymond: February 28, 1929 - January 10, 2008

As some of you already know, Mark's dad Jack passed away this morning from complications due to a massive heart attack. Jack was a warm, wonderful man who was always full of vitality and energy. When his heart attack struck him, he had just been driving home from one of his favorite activities: square dancing with his Seniors group.

Coincidentally, the local newspaper just recently recorded a short video report about the Square Dancing Seniors, which was posted on their website on Monday - just one day before Jack's fateful car accident/cardiac arrest. I wanted to share the video with all of you (for those of you who never had the pleasure of meeting Jack, he's the handsome, silvery-haired rapscallion in the light blue shirt):



Farewell, Jack... you will be greatly missed. And wherever you are now, I hope you're still dancing.