Wednesday 19 September 2007

Moving on

OK, enough of the Jill saga. It really drained me to write it, and I suspect it might have drained some or all of you to read it. Still, I'm glad I got it out. Time to move on.

So, to catch up: The always lovely DJ has bestowed an honour on me -- The Awesome Dude Blogger award -- because, she says, what I write always makes her stop and think. Thank you DJ. I shall give some thought to my next recipients, though I have some ideas.

Pixie put a questionnaire on her blog, which I'd like to do and pass on to those of you who are interested in answering the questions.

1. What is your all time favourite book, from childhood, as an adult?
2. All time favourite movie as above?
3. Favourite type of chocolate, and how much of it do you eat a week?
4. Favourite drink, non alcoholic and alcoholic?
5. Where is your all time best holiday destination?
6. Where is your dream holiday destination?
7. Which is the best Beatles track of all time?
8. What are you most proud of having achieved (having children doesn't count)
9. What would you want for your last supper ever?(assuming it's food you like now and not liquidized mush when you are 90!)
10.How old were you when you had your first snog, name of snoggee if you dare?
11.Do you have an unfulfilled ambition?
12.If so what is it?
13.What yer gonna do about achieving it?
14.Describe the outfit that best describes you as you are.
15.If you were on Desert Island Discs which one piece of music would you want to keep?
16. And what would the luxury item be, as in no use at all, on a desert island?
17. Outside of your partner, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Beyonce Knowles, J-lo who do you fantasise about?
18.Describe the contents of your purse/wallet, ie receipts/ bus tickets/ plastic you never use/ and if your lucky enough money.(English use of the word purse here)
19.Outside of the family what item would you save from the inferno?
20.How much would you like me to stop now.?

And here are my answers:
1. All-time favourite book from childhood has to be "Little Women" followed closely by "Little Men." I'm a huge Louisa May Alcott fan. I have a few favourite books from adulthood, depending on what stage I'm in: "Catcher in the Rye," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Nicholas Nickleby," "Alias Grace," "The Corrections," "The Shipping News" to name a few. I have gone through phases of reading lots by one particular author, though not for a while.
2. All-time favourite movie is a hard one. There are some I watch every year: "White Christmas" and "It's a Wonderful Life." There are some I welcome like an old friend into my life from time to time: "Sound of Music," say. There are some I watch that i find quite powerful but don't necessarily need to see again or that frequently: "Million Dollar Baby," "The Deerhunter," "Apocalypse Now," "The Godfather" series. So I can't say I have one particular favourite.
3. I try to be good and save chocolate for special occasions. I find dark chocolate to be particularly comforting these days, the bitter and the sweet combining for a satisfying tastebud experience.
4. My favourite alcoholic drink is a nice dry martini as made by my dad. No one else makes them quite so good. Non-alcoholic? Well, I drink a lot of water, coffee (natch), and iced tea when I'm in the states.
5. My all-time best holiday destination? I had a super time taking a cruise to the Bahamas when I was a senior in high school. I loved Tremblant in Canada the first year I skied there. I honeymooned in India, and despite getting food poisoning really bad (lost 10 pounds in two days), found it to be a wondrous country. Right now I have to go to the States every year to see my family, but I look forward to a time when I can explore the rest of the world.
6. My dream holiday destination involves the beach and mountains, but I don't have a specific place in mind.
7. The best Beatles track of all time is "Here, There, and Everywhere." So says me.
8. I am most proud of achieving 15 years of marriage to the same man.
9. My last supper would be a salad full of vegetables grown by me, chateaubriand cooked to perfection, and Key Lime pie as made by me for dessert. With champagne (Cristal please, now that I've tasted it) to wash it down with.
10. I was a mere 5 when I had my first kiss and it was by Andy Garcia (not THAT one), with whom I was desperately in love.
11, 12, 13. I have many unfulfilled ambitions, one being to write a book. I have done nothing to achieve it, other than think about what I'm going to write. I might copy other bloggers and create a blog with chapters to help me.
14. If outfit means clothing, it would have to be a slinky black dress with a plunging neckline to show off my (non-existent unless I wear a push-up bra) cleavage. The dress would go to the knee and be tightly fitted on top but more flowing from the waist, the better to dance in.
15. I think if I were on a desert island and had only one piece of music to listen to, I might grow to hate it with a passion. One of the joys of music is that there is so much of it and so many genres.
16. Luxury item? Well, at heart I'm a practical person so it would have to be something useful. I know. An unlimited supply of desalination tablets for water.
17. I fantasise about Woody Allen. JUST KIDDING!!! I fantasise about lots of people: sometimes it's the postman, sometimes it's my golf pro, sometimes it's a friend's husband (sshh, don't tell), sometimes it's the dishy dad at my kids' old primary school (though he's gone quite hairy now), sometimes it's even my husband.
18. My wallet is a mess of library cards, kids' photos, top-up cards for mobile phones that aren't used anymore, one credit card, one ATM card, Costco membership card, some loyalty cards, insurance card, dental appointment cards. Etc.
19. If there were a fire, I save my kids first, the cats second. Or maybe the other way around, depending on the day and my mood. The rest of it can burn, baby, burn.
20. I'm finished, now it's your turn.

7 comments:

Vi said...

You've just reminded me, I've got to do this one tonight. Ta!

Kim said...

Very interesting list. Do you never drink iced tea at home? And I have to know . . . sweet or not? As far as we're concerned here in my house, if it's not sweet, it's just hot tea gone tepid with some ice popped in.

laurie said...

i know you said enough of jill, but i just read the whole three-part series and i'm blown away by it--by what happened, by the other women's reactions, but everything.

jill sounds awfully familiar to me. we see people like that in our lives from time to time (i have a sister who is a little bit like this). i suspect the other moms felt sorry for her, were a little afraid of her, believed all of her outrageous stories (which i didn't), and probably thought if they treated her carefully and gingerly she might somehow be normal.

your assessment of yourself -- the feelings that she brought out in you were similar to the feelings your mother brought out in you -- is pretty powerful. but i also think that your personality---straightforward, honest, forthright--woudln't allow you to pretend with her.

that was a fascinating series, coffee, and i was on your side the whole way.

laurie said...

ps--re the list: i LIKE hot tea with ice in it!

the rotten correspondent said...

Great answers here. I love these things, as you get to learn things about people that don't normally come up in conversation (or blogging).

Take a deep breath and try to block Jill out of your thoughts. You know you handled yourself properly. Who gives a hell about what the PTA ladies think??

wakeupandsmellthecoffee said...

Vi: You're welcome.

Kaycie: I gave up sweet tea when I got weight-conscious (about 13, I think). England doesn't really have the climate for iced tea, though my son has been asking me to make it.

Laurie: Thanks for your kind comments. Yes, I think you got it right about the other women. HOT tea with ice? Maybe what you're seeking is tepid tea?

RC: Quite right. We can't live our lives worrying about what others think, or shouldn't at any rate.

laurie said...

well, i mean it starts out hot. then i let it cool. then i put ice in it.

sweet tea is a southern thing in the US. i be a northern girl.