Random Dozen: More than You Wanted to Know

I *really* didn't want to be up past midnight tonight...that makes two nights in a row. But My Sweet Baboo is on a business trip, and I couldn't hit the hay until I'd talked to him. So, while I'm up, I might as well paste the post, no?

This week's questions are all over the place. Click on the image to see the 'link-up' post...maybe even answer the questions and link up your answers!



1. How do you feel about "Gladiator" sandals, also called "Roman" or "Jesus" sandals? A fashion yea or nay?
Seriously? You’re asking ME to offer up a fashion pronouncement? Me? When I’ve honestly toyed with the idea of writing a book called Confessions of a Fashion Klutz? To be honest, in my world comfort trumps style in footwear and all those ‘Gladiator sandals’ have flat-as-a-board soles; no arch support at all. Makes my feet ache just to think about wearing ‘em. But for someone whose arches don’t demand coddling, some of the less extreme versions are kind of cute...the tall, super-strappy versions look rather costumey to me.

2. What is your favorite pizza?
Ham, onions, mushrooms on thin crust. If I’m feeling decadent, extra cheese. Not so particular about where it comes from, so long as it's not Papa John's. The Best Pizza In The World was made by a little mom-and-pop shop on the west side of Brownsburg, IN in the late 70’s. I don’t know what blend of cheeses they used, but, oh, wow, was it good. Long gone, now…

3. There are plans in the works to sell roughly 1,000 items from Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. This means you could buy Picard's chair for your family room. If not a Star Trek item, what prop, background, set, etc. from what TV or movie would you buy if you could?
[Ex: Hurley's "I Love my Shih tzu" shirt from LOST, the plantation home "Tara" from Gone With the Wind, or Tracy's tambourine from the Partridge Family.]
I don’t have much urge to own a piece of a movie/TV show set, so I really had to think to come up with something that I’d be willing to buy if I had more money than I could possibly use. I finally decided upon something from the first movie I remember seeing in a theater -- Mary Poppins’ carpet bag. Big enough to be useful and kinda snazzy to boot.

4. Name a local food or restaurant that your area is famous for.
Someone told me about a year ago that The Rocket City, statistically, has more restaurants per capita than any other city its size, or some such thing. I’ve no idea where that info came from, but you can imagine that, with so many to choose from, none of them particularly stand out. The places that were unique and notable when we moved to town 30 years ago are, by and large, long gone. So I’ll probably have to go with the idea of local food…this being the South, there are almost as many barbecue places as churches. Pork barbecue, beef brisket and, in the cooler months, Brunswick stew. Don’t forget the white sauce.

5. What is your current favorite snack?
Thinly sliced Cracker Barrel Vermont White Cheddar cheese on Triscuits, washed down by Welches’ grape juice. I’m normally not a brand-loyal type shopper, but in this case the brands matter.

6. Hypothetical: You are required to be a reality show contestant. Which show would you choose based on your probability of success? (You cannot choose "none.")

A. Dancing with the Stars
B. Biggest Loser
C. Survivor

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA and HA!
I had to get that out of my system.

I’m only about 30 lbs overweight, so even if I lost all that I couldn’t win Biggest Loser outright. But I’d certainly consider myself a winner if I lost 30 pounds. That would be my pick…I could sure use some help doing exercises that don’t aggravate the back issues I’m currently dealing with.

7. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being uninhabitable and 10 being cleanliness that meets the standards of OCD, how clean is your vehicle's interior?
It’s actually not too bad…I’ll give it a 6. The house, on the other hand…

8. It doesn't feel like Spring until _________.
6 years ago I’d’ve said ‘...we sleep on sun-dried sheets.’ But our current abode, while it is much improved in the square footage department over that house, lacks a clothesline. So I’ll go with ‘...I hear birds chirping through the open windows in the evening.’

9. Something that made you laugh really hard recently is ____.
I have laughed recently, really hard, at some oddball thing at the dinner table. But I don’t remember what it was that happened or who said what that set it off…it may have been that I was just unbelievably tired…

10. Tell me about a goal you're working toward.
Folks that read the sewing blog know this one...I have a friend who’s doing chemo therapy for breast cancer. This friend also happens to be a seller of fashion fabrics via the internet, and I have *ahem* several pieces of fabric that I’ve purchased from her. So my goal is to sew 12 garments from fabric purchased from Ann: one a week, for the 12 weeks that she’s doing chemo, praying for her as I sew. I kept up with it ‘till the 8th week, when I got bogged down doing volunteer work and couldn’t get to my sewing machine. But I’m only one garment behind; I’m hoping to catch up.

11. Share a thought-provoking or inspiring quote this week.
In honor of my friend Shannon, who is dealing with end stage sarcoma, and my cousin Sheila who lost her 10-year battle with breast cancer over the weekend:
‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’ – Tom Batuik.

12. Name one thing that you do as a parent that you absolutely know will make your kids happy. If you're not a parent, feel free to substitute "friend" or nomenclature that works for you.
Buy chocolate milk at the grocery store.