T13

This is a meme that I stole from Melli, who got it by participating in “Random Dozen.”  (Melli posted hers here.)   I’m adding one more (Thankful Thursday idea is from Mary Alice, a friend I am very thankful for!) and turning mine into a  “Thursday 13” ala Janet! If you can follow all of that, then you are ready to read my THURSDAY 13:

1. Please share one middle school memory. It can be good, bad, ugly, funny. Pictures or words, I don’t care, just share. Where I grew up, my first name (and last name, for that matter) was uncommon and I had never met another person with the same name. Middle School was where kids from different elementary schools met for the first time, and it turned out there was another girl with the same first name.    Our last names were also very similar. Everyone seemed to think this was wonderful and said, “You’ve GOT to meet this other girl! She has the same name as you do.”  For some reason, I was not excited to meet her –probably due to low self-esteem, I thought she would be so much better than me and wouldn’t like me, and then everyone would hate me…. ah, middle school angst.  Lovely stuff, eh?  ANYHOO… we finally met and found that we had things in common (we were the only girls who showed up in 6th grade gym class wearing undershirts instead of training bras… Moms, do NOT do this to your daughters!).  We have been close friends ever since and she is one of the participants in the annual Girl’s Weekend.

2. What’s your favorite Beatles song?
Today I am singing the happy birthday song because I am baking cupcakes (no, it is not anyone’s birthday, although SnakeMaster is celebrating his summer birthday at school today… hence the cupcakes) but there are so many good ones that I can’t choose a favorite.  “Good Day Sunshine” is always a happy one.

3. If I asked you to describe your most comfortable outfit, what would it be?  😛  Pajamas, LOL

4. Would you rather host a party or be a guest?
I’m going to admit it: I would rather be a guest and not have to do all the work! A party is a lot of work.   But I DO like hosting get-togethers and spending time talking and laughing with people.  I even enjoy planning the food & drink, but once it has begun, I don’t like being bothered with details — I want to focus on the FUN!

5. Do you think we will move completely from traditional books to digital ones, and if we do, are you OK with that?
While I don’t believe we will ever totally move from traditional books, I would be VERY sad and unhappy if that did happen… so no, I’m NOT okay with that! There is just something special that I love about an actual book — the feel of it in my hands, the rustling of pages, even the smell.  You can’t get that from a Kindle or a computer monitor.  And really, I can’t read long articles on a computer monitor.  My eyes start to bug out and my vision goes fuzzy.  I can’t concentrate anymore.  Also, it is hard to snuggle with a child and read digital stories (although I do share some lovely blogs that way).

6. Do you learn best by reading, listening or experiencing?
I often need to do all 3 of the above before I can truly learn something new.  I think it has something to do with my personal comfort level regarding confidence in my newly-learned skill.

7. If you are (or when you were) single, what is the kiss of death for you concerning the opposite sex? (That is, what is one trait or behavior or habit or anything at all that immediately turns you off from considering that person a potential match for you?) 
Hating children (or even disliking babies and kids) would definitely be the end of any attraction for me, since I love kids and have often worked with kids.  My dream was to be a SAHM, and I am living my dream.  :D

8. Snacks. Salty or sweet?
Salt is a rare craving, so I am usually all about the sweets (to my great detriment).  However, what I really want is a mozzarella cheese stick!

9. Look around you in a four foot radius. What object is around you that you didn’t realize was there or forgot was there? How long has it been there?
There are so many things within TWO feet of me that I don’t know where to begin!  The computer desk is SO cluttered, and it is entirely my fault (and mostly my clutter).  I did just notice that I still have the summer camp schedule for the local parks & recreation department over in the corner… clearly, that needs to go out to the recycling NOW!

10. What is your favorite Tom Cruise movie?
Hands down, my favorite Tom Cruise movie was Top Gun.  It might have something to do with the soundtrack…

11. You buy a bottle of shampoo and discover that you don’t like what it does to your hair at all. What do you do with that full bottle?
I could probably put it in the boys’ shower and it would get used, but if it was truly useless for hair, I would use it to scrub soap scum off the shower walls.  (That’s a trick I learned from the FlyLady)

12. Your favorite Fall comfort food? (Last week it was beverage.)
Fall is the time when I think about pumpkin pie and taco soup.  I’ll probably be serving that for Halloween, since the pie can be made in advance and the soup can simmer on the stove and eaten at each person’s convenience.  (It will be a busy day with a band competition, a parade, trick-or-treating, and probably a cross-country meet or at least a good run.)

13.  What is one thing you are thankful for today?
I am thankful for a dependable car!  I know that this is something I should not take for granted, so today I am thinking about it and being thankful.