x/69

I'm sick. I'm tired. I'm depressed. I'm supposed to be packed/ing to leave in the a.m. to go up to party with friends in Canada, but I don't have the energy. I'm worried I might have to disappoint said friends and my daughters by bowing out of the fun.

But all of that is too icky to think about, so I'm answering the questions I feel like answering from this meme that Frank did.

1. PICK ONE OF YOUR SCARS OUT. NOW HOW DID YOU GET IT?

I'm feeling rebellious, so I'm doing three scars:

- Forehead just left of my right eyebrow: chicken pox.

- Inner thigh just above my left knee: a normally very (very!) sweet neighbor dog bit me after being crushed by a car.

- Center knuckle of the index finger on my right hand: I failed to let go of a line I really should have let go of while sailing in the Virgins.

5. WHAT WAS YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE?

Two come to mind:

- MJ (who in the dream was also my little sister, Lynn) was in our basement, in terrible danger, and I couldn't get to her.

- My former stepfather (known around here as "The Asshole") and I were on opposite sides of a very tall chain-link fence. There was a rope tossed over the top of the fence, and he and I each had hold of it. In the dream it was very clear that it was My Rope, but he kept wheedling with me, trying to get me to share "just some of it" with him, and I didn't want to, but he wouldn't stop asking. Very stressful, and very symbolic.

13. DO YOU REMEMBER BIRTHDAYS?

If asked, I can recall the birthdates of most of the people (parents, siblings, spouses, children, nieces and nephews) in my immediate family and Frank's. But I am very hit and miss about acknowledging said birthdates in a timely fashion.

Ahem. Happy belated birthday, Daddy!

14. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?

Early afternoon.

15. DO YOU HAVE A BIRTHMARK? WHERE?

I used to have one on my right thigh, but there's barely a trace of it now.

17. WHAT IS THE WEIRDEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE?

Define weird. Much of my life is considered weird by someone or other.

18. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU STARTED FILLING THIS IN?

Feeling miserable and sorry for myself.

27. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ON SOMEONE (OPPOSITE SEX)?

Face and hair.

31. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?

Small spaces bother me if someone or something is blocking the exit therefrom. Frank and the girls hear me say "Let me out" with some regularity.

32. COULD YOU EVER SEE YOURSELF MOVING FROM WHERE YOU ARE?

Yep. I have a love/hate relationship with our house. It's a great house and we've raised our babies here, but it represents so much responsibility and work. Everywhere I look I see chores.

33. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIE OF ALL TIME?

Beauty and the Beast. Nice to see the guy be the one to get rescued for a change.

34. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG OF ALL TIME?

"You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC has long been a favorite. But there are others.

39. WHO WAS YOUR FIRST CRUSH WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE?

Not positive he was first, but Jeff Wenzel gave me my first kiss. We were seven.

42. WHO OUT OF YOUR CURRENT FRIENDS (SAME SEX) HAVE YOU KNOWN THE LONGEST?

A couple of kids from elementary school are my friends on Facebook (Janie Hansen being the one I've known longest), but from my friends-in-real-life it's a tie between Erin and Denise, I think, with Steph a close third.

43. NOW THE OPPOSITE SEX?

The Facebook/elementary school entry for this one is probably Brian Roberts. In real life, it's Chris, then Frank.

49. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES?

Asked and answered here.

53. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU (OF THE OPPOSITE SEX)?

Aaron, my boyfriend in middle school, gave me a heart necklace. I might still have that somewhere.

56. WHAT KIND OF BOOKS DO YOU LIKE TO READ?

Romances. I used to be embarrassed to admit that but not anymore. Character development is key in those, and that is always my favorite thing to read about or see in a movie.

Plus, the writing in books that are more socially accepted is so bad sometimes. Or horribly depressing. Oprah's Book Club? Gah! Shooting myself in the head would be more cheerful than some of those.

Don't get me started.

57. DO YOU LIKE POETRY?

Some of it. I tend to like stuff that rhymes (Yes! It's a poem!), but I appreciate a lovely turn of phrase wherever I find it.

Here's a favorite. I also love this one.

Chloe and I were just discussing this one today. Is the reference to "nunnery" a jab? Is the protagonist full of shit? Interesting questions like that.

58. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR COFFEE?

Three ways:

- At home: fresh ground, about 1/3 milk, two or three spoonfuls of sugar
- At Starbucks: caramel machiatto
- At other coffee joints: caramel latte

59. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PHRASE TO USE?

"Anyway..."

60. DRAGONS OR DINOSAURS?

Dragons in books, dinosaurs in movies.

67. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST?

Most often: left-lane hogs.
Most intensely: things not being done my way. I suppose the left lane thing is a member of this group.

69. ANY LAST THOUGHTS?

Too many to list.