The Randomness Continues

The Random Dozen has some doozies this week! If you are new to this blog and have no idea what is going on, visit 2nd Cup and check out all the other bloggers who have linked up to share their answers to twelve completely random (and often bizarre) questions posed by The Lid.

1. What was the last song you listened to? It was something on a blog and I don't remember. Really. I honestly don't remember. It was about a week ago. There's plenty of music in the barrio with the construction guys next door blaring their radio which is set to a station which consistently plays musicians who are WAY out of tune. It's so bad it's painful. I do my best to block that music from my conscious brainwaves so it doesn't count. Besides I wouldn't have a clue what any of the names of those songs are, even if I was listening...which I'm not.

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything? Once I shopped at a high end department store and bought a pair of stirrup pants and long tunic sweater (this tells you how long ago I bought it - maybe 20 years?). That outfit cost as much as my wedding dress and I had such angst all the way home. But the mall was two hours from my house so not an easy thing to take it back (which I debated doing for a good solid week). The stirrup pants are no more but I still wear (and adore) the tunic sweater in softest pink and cream, so I think I got my money's worth in the end.

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing) Kids? lol  Actually that was just the initial reaction when we found out we were pregnant the first time since we were both still in college. I cried for a couple of days. But God knows way better than we do about those things. And the second one came along during a time of transition which was a little difficult but, again, in God's perfect timing. I love those crazy kids like there's no tomorrow and am SO THANKFUL God blessed us with them! 

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon? While it's something I've always loved to do, nobody else in my family ever got into it so the annual viewing fell by the wayside long before we moved overseas where I couldn't watch it even if I wanted to now.

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately. You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say "How have we wearied him?" By saying, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them." Or by asking "Where is the God of justice?" Sounds pretty contemporary, doesn't it? That's from Malachi 2:17. People we meet generally either have the idea that we're all good and going to heaven or they're angry with Him and demand to know where is the justice in this world. The whole book of Malachi proves Solomon's point that there's nothing new under the sun. All the things the Israelites were up to way back when, we're still up to today.

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention this blog is rated G? I could probably list a dozen off the top of my head without having to think very hard...Dancing With The Stars is a couple hours of my life each week that I won't get back...some of the authors I enjoy, while not bad, probably aren't time-worthy...even though I get great encouragement and am blessed by the friendships in Bloggyville I probably spend too much time online (or did before my Mac busted)...No Bakes are amazingly delicious and (once you know how to make them) really easy to make but eaten in excess -- which is the only way I eat them -- are not healthy...need I go on?

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to? Not sure we'll "do" Thanksgiving this year. There aren't many North Americans around to enjoy it with, and I think I'm actually working that day, helping with oral exams at the English Institute. Plus the ingredients for a traditional dinner are difficult or impossible to come by: turkeys are very expensive when you can find them (which isn't often), no cranberry sauce or stuffing croutons at all, sweet potatoes are a possibility because the stores sometimes carry those but no pecans so how can I make my fabulous sweet potato casserole? If we do anything it'll just be a nice chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, butternut squash and salad.

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book? There are SO MANY wonderful children's books but my favorite and one I read to my kids is The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. I wanted to live in that house!

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.) My husband declared our house a collection-free zone years ago after my brief obsession with lazy susans. lol  But I did start collecting teacups and after much debate, brought them with me. I use them too! Looking forward to getting a shelf up high along the wall in the kitchen so I can unpack at least a portion of my 27 cups to display. Meanwhile they're swaddled in bubble wrap and stored in a big plastic bin.

The Ladies Tea at our last Missionary Field Conference.

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper? Both! Depends on the gift.

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day? We lived in Michigan when I was in grade school, so a typical day found me walking home from school with my sister, possibly stopping at the library if I was out of books. My sister loved afternoon cartoons, I usually buried my nose in a book. I'm sure I had homework but I have no memories of doing it although I must have since I was a good student. After supper the kids in our neighborhood would usually congregate outside, maybe play a game of kickball in the street or a few of us would take a bike ride. Home by dark, some t.v. before bed at 9:30. After we moved to Kentucky when I was ready to start high school, the trip home involved a bus ride that lasted 1-1/2 hours. Then we hauled in coal to keep the stove going that heated our house. We helped with cooking and cleaning. I think we may have had a t.v. but I don't remember watching it then. Usually up until ten or so doing homework, then I'd go to bed and read for a while. I know, my life was completely mundane and boring; I almost went to sleep just re-reading this paragraph.

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? Do you feel for the fish?? Definitely not. I don't touch the fish or worms when we go fishing. I'm along simply for moral support and while the others fish, I read. 

Feel a fish? What kind of warped question is that? I don't think I'd even want to work at a place that asked questions like that. Ewwwww.
EDITED at 8:15 a.m. Okay, so I answered these questions as soon as I got up at 6:00 this morning. AND TOTALLY DIDN'T GET THIS QUESTION UNTIL I WAS IN THE SHOWER TWO HOURS LATER. Oh my word, it hit me while washing my hair. "Do you feel FOR the fish?" As in, do you feel badly for the fish? lol  Ivan says he took the question the same way I did initially so I'm guessing I won't be the only one (hope not anyway! I would totally feel like the ditzy contestant on Miss Congeniality who answered the question, "Describe your perfect date" by talking about a day in April that was neither too hot nor too cold.). It'll be fun to see how others answered this one!