Less than 73 questions, answered

North Park at 7:15 AM
September 2015

Kari at A Gracefull life has posted 73 questions from Vogue.   I’m in a rut for several reasons, so I will try to break out of it by answering a few of them.  Feel free to play along, either here or on your blog or in your mind. Thanks, Kari!

1- What is your favorite time of day? 

Morning.

2-What is your biggest weakness? 

Not keeping things tidy.

3- How do you relax?  

Reading, singing, walking, data entry, writing.

12- What is your favorite season? 

Autumn.  And the fall of the patriarchy.  

October leaves

13- What are you scared of? 

Heights.  And also apparently whenever someone else drives.  Fascism.  I fear that when I am living in the nursing home I will never have hot tea again.  

I’m afraid of a lot more things, but let’s not get depressing here.

14- How many kids do you want?  

Three.  And that’s what happened!

15- What is your favorite flower?   

Anything that blooms on its own in my yard.  This year I am fond of bee balm because it bloomed (yay!), the deer didn’t eat it, and it’s fun to say.  

16- Tea or coffee? 

Black tea, made with boiling water, served HOT, with milk or cream, no sweetener.   Steeped for a good long while, but also HOT.  This is what microwaves are for.

Edited to add: black tea (with caffeine) is for morning or early afternoon. After that, I have peppermint or camomile or peach or raspberry tea, all caffeine free. Otherwise, it's a sleepless night coming at me.

17- If you could play any instrument, which would you play? 

Piano.  And I do play piano.  What good luck!  I also played violin through high school but I was terrible at it.  After college I wanted to play acoustic guitar but I no longer had callouses and it was too painful to re-develop them. 

It *would* be pretty cool to know
how to play this instrument.

18- Favorite holiday? 

Thanksgiving.  

Least favorite holiday - please make Mother’s Day go away.

19- What places do you want to visit? 

I imagine that I would like to visit Scotland, but the weather would have to be nice for me to enjoy it.  Perhaps incompatible goals.

26- Which three famous people would you invite for tea? 

Trevor Noah and Heather Cox Richardson and you.

30- What is your favorite thing to eat? 

Homemade fruit pie, preferably peach or apple, with hot tea (see # 16). 

31- What was your favorite movie as a child? 

The Wizard of Oz.  

33- Favorite thing to wear? 

Sweatshirt (full zip, with pockets).

34- Most adventurous thing you’ve done? 

Hiked up Mt. Monadnock, and back, despite fear of heights.

Me on top of the mountain. 2003?

39- Cats or dogs? 

Cats, except I am a bit allergic.  I’m afraid of dogs.  Don’t judge me.  

42- What show are you currently watching? 

We started binge-watching The Pitt in a hotel which had HBO Max for free.  Husband liked the show so much he subscribed.  This is how we spiral downward.

And I am re-watching Downton Abbey on my tablet at night.  More spiraling.

46- Do you like cooking or baking? 

Baking.

47- Favorite snack food? 

Crackers and cheese.  Dark chocolate.  Any snack unless it includes coconut.

Bhuja snacks nut mix is delightful
but we can't get it here.

48- Secret talent? 

Finding things in the refrigerator.

49- What are you most excited for these days? 

If any of my kids would visit, that would be most exciting and satisfying.

52- What makes you mad? 

What *doesn’t* make me mad these days? 

My U.S. Senators and numerous other flaccid spineless fascist corrupt kleptocrat electeds infuriate me. And anybody who sides with them.

People who abuse authority.

Racism.  

Patriarchy.

Daylight Saving Time.

Vertigo.

The stranglehold placed on libraries regarding kindle books.

The fact that one of those people who side with the fascists earns money whenever I buy a kindle book.

53- Which song would you like to hear to be happy? 

How to pick?  Maybe “How Can I Keep from Singing?”

54- Favorite word in English? 

Not sure I have a favorite in English.

My favorite words in French are crepuscule and pamplemousse.

My favorite words in Hebrew are chesed and ruach.

I should have a favorite word in Russian, too, but I forget what it might be.

crepuscule

57- Window or aisle seat? 

Used to be window, but now in my old age I prefer the aisle.  

64- What is something you can’t do? 

Singlehandedly save US democracy.  I feel my ineptitude at this, every single day.  But then, if I could do it by myself, it wouldn’t be democracy, would it?

65- What do you usually eat for breakfast? 

Oatmeal and fruit (same as Kari!)

66- Favorite color? 

Green and peach.  But maybe also an earthy brown.  Plus blue.  Then there’s red.  Okay, all the colors.

67- What makes you happy? 

Since I answered at length what makes me mad I will have to answer this one.

Mercy, kindness, music, singing joyfully and/or loudly, writing, reading, public art, a meaningful worship service, family gatherings, flowers growing, being grateful, owls and otters and whales thriving, witnessing the total solar eclipse, the basics of enough food, warmth, safety (preferably for everyone).  

70- Do you prefer milk chocolate or dark chocolate? 

Dark chocolate.  But not too dark.  75% is too dark.  Maybe my answer is semisweet.

I answered these 30 of the 73 questions:

1- What is your favorite time of day?

2-What is your biggest weakness?

3- How do you relax?

12- What is your favorite season?

13- What are you scared of?

14- How many kids do you want?

15- What is your favorite flower?

16- Tea or coffee?

17- If you could play any instrument, which would you play?

18- Favorite holiday?

19- What places do you want to visit?

26- Which three famous people would you invite for tea?

30- What is your favorite thing to eat?

31- What was your favorite movie as a child?

33- Favorite thing to wear?

34- Most adventurous thing you’ve done?

39- Cats or dogs?

42- What show are you currently watching?

46- Do you like cooking or baking?

47- Favorite snack food?

48- Secret talent?

49- What are you most excited for these days?

52- What makes you mad?

53- Which song would you like to hear to be happy?

54- Favorite word in English?

57- Window or aisle seat?

64- What is something you can’t do?

65- What do you usually eat for breakfast?

66- Favorite color?

67- What makes you happy?

70- Do you prefer milk chocolate or dark chocolate?

For all 73 questions you will have to go to Kari’s blog or else to Vogue.

 

Resolution Abandoned!

Morning note, 2015

 

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.  Secretly, though, this year I did make one.

I have already failed to keep it. That’s the fate of most New Year’s resolutions.  Soon the foot traffic at the local gym will decrease.  Consumption of bacon will increase and the eating of lettuce will fall.  The world will return to the usual level of cussing and cussedness.

My New Year’s resolution was to use no exclamation points.  

Sometime in the 1980s, my brother the compiler programmer taught me that the exclamation point can also be called “bang”.  The punctuation combination (say that ten times fast) ?! can be called “interrobang”.  I find ?! to be quite useful in the modern world, as there is much that is surprisingly questionable.

The symbol ! is also used in math to denote factorial, which involves an enthusiastic increase in numerical value. 

Waffles!!!!!  Toast!!!!! Transmogrifier!!!!!
The meaning of this exclamation-point-laden written exchange
among Common Household family members
is lost in the sands of time.

The use of most punctuation has declined.  To denote the end of your sentence, you don’t need a period.  

Just send the message

Or even better send a gif

Which is pronounced with a hard g because otherwise it is peanut butter

I feel the reverse is true for the exclamation point.  The universe of words is awash in exclamation points.  Attempting to live exclamation-point-free will result in one’s written comments being misinterpreted as grumpy, conflicted, or downright hostile.  

Examples – someone posts online:  

I just got the job I wanted!

We just adopted a new pet!!  

My possible exclamation-less responses:

Great.

That’s just fabulous.

Inner reaction toward me from the original poster: You misanthrope! 

If I want to sound enthusiastic without using an exclamation point, I would have to use a lot more words, such as,

• I am very glad you have been hired for the exciting job you were seeking as a professional paint drying watcher.  

• That is so wonderful that you were able to adopt your new armadillo.  I applaud you for your care of animals.

I very quickly reverted to using an exclamation point in my responses.  This January has me feeling grumpy enough, without contributing to the feeling with waspish replies.

Cheerio!

As true in 2023 as it was in 2017.
Voting for judges is important
enough to warrant an exclamation point.

First Lines: July 2021 edition

Below are the first lines of the 6 books I finished reading in July, which include one children’s lit and one short story collection. I was delighted to read plenty of fiction, following a non-fiction-heavy reading list for the previous month.

 

 

Book 1

It was against my parents’ principles to talk about death… Nor would they discuss religion beyond a most superficial level.  “I’m Jewish.  Daddy is Jewish. You’re Jewish.  End of story.” (said my mother).  Asking too many “spiritual” questions meant that you had too much time on your hands.

 

Book 2

AN ACT Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled "An act concerning elections, including general, municipal, special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates, primary and election expenses and election contests; creating and defining membership of county boards of elections; imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth, courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners; imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying, revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to elections," as follows:

 

Book 3

June 8, 1691

11 Sivan of the Hebrew year 5451

Richmond, Surrey

Let me begin afresh.  Perhaps, this time, to tell the truth.  For in the biting hush of ink on paper, where truth ought to raise its head and speak without fear, I have long lied.

 

Book 4

Chapter One: They Notice

Frankie was the first to know. Frankie was the first to know most things—but since he hadn’t spoken since he was eight years old, it didn’t matter what he knew.

Book 5

Look at the man and woman in the foreground of this photograph.

 

Book 6

I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus ben Joseph of Nazareth. I called him Beloved and he, laughing, called me Little Thunder.

 

The titles and authors revealed:

 

 

Book 1

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?  By Roz Chast.  Graphic memoir.  

My second time reading this. I read it because the library Summer Reading Bingo had a square for “book with a blue cover.” The story seems more pointed, reading it at the same time as Being Mortal.

 

Book 2

HOUSE BILL No. 1300 Session Of 2021, By Republicans Of THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Referred to committee on state government on JUNE 10, 2021

As a reading experience, terrible.  As a potential law, not as awful as some state election bills already signed into law in other states (Georgia).  My state rep supported this bill and tried to say it would make voting easier, but it would not make it easier.  The law was passed in the Republican-controlled legislature, but the Governor vetoed it.

 

Book 3

The Weight of Ink, by Rachel Kadish.  © 2017.   587 pages 

Dual stories, one of historians fighting over recently found documents from the 1600s, and the other the story of the person who penned those documents.  That person was Ester Velasquez, a Jewish woman, an orphan who moved from Amsterdam with the blind rabbi who took her under his wing and made her his scribe.  She eventually takes on various false names in order to correspond as a man with philosophers, including Spinoza and Hobbes.  I found the 1600s story interesting, but didn’t much like the story about the historians.  I did not like the writing style, and felt the book did not need to be such a huge tome.  But other reviewers gushed over this book. 

 

Book 4

The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill.  Y.A. Fiction.  © 2011.  345 pages.  

A tale of magic that takes place in Iowa.  Enjoyable.

 

Book 5

Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind, by Alexander McCall Smith.  © 2019.  149 pages.  Short stories. 

I’m not usually fond of the short story genre, but I greatly enjoyed these stories, especially after reading the torturous prose of Rachel Kadish and the mind-bending magic of Kelly Barnhill.  McCall Smith spins stories from photos in the archives of The Sunday Times. 

 

A few excerpts from different stories:

She missed the ladies’ nights at the Club; she missed the tea parties where she was able to condescend to the wives of junior officials; she even missed the things of which she disapproved. Disapproval may provide as much a raison d’être as wholehearted endorsement; who amongst us does not enjoy at least some of our animosities?

 

If life is dull—as it often is for teenagers—then the presence of a cultural anthropologist might be just too much of a temptation.

He could have made life easy for me, but he realised that this would not give me the best start. Things that you have not achieved yourself are always less rewarding than the things you have earned through your own hard work. All I ever received from my father was a gift of four thousand pounds when I turned twenty-one—and a share in the shops, of course. But that came later, and by that time I had already built up my own business.

 

Book 6

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. © 2020  432 pages.

My reading of this book suffered from having read it right after reading The Weight of Ink.  This book was another book about a woman wanting to write, but being suppressed by the Jewish culture of her time.  

 

Favorite books read in 2017

Little Free Library

The best fiction I read in 2017

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.  

Far and away the best writing of any book I read in 2017.   Based on this book alone, the author's Nobel Prize is well-deserved.

The President’s Hat by Antoine Laurain (translated from the French  by Gallic Books).

A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway.

Tortilla Flat, by John Steinbeck. 

Standard Deviation, by Katherine Heiny.

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. 

The best non-fiction I read in 2017

Gender Revolution: Special Issue, National Geographic magazine, January 2017.

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, by Timothy Snyder. 

I read it twice in 2017. 

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, by Trevor Noah.  

I really enjoyed this fascinating memoir. 

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21^st Century, by Steven Pinker.

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America, by Michael Eric Dyson. 

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This was a difficult read because of the subject matter.  Nevertheless, I recommend it to white American Christians.

How about you?  Do you have any favorites that you have read recently? Have you ever used a Little Free Library?