A Saturday Meme

It's been a while since I've posted a meme. I guess I figure that memes bore people (though I'm never bored by others' memes) or that they lack creativity (since they're essentially stolen) or that they're not really mine (since they're essentially stolen). But here's one anyway. Hell, Saturday's are my low-traffic days anyway. (Should I even care about all that stat stuff? I have to keep reminding myself that I never started blogging to attain readers or garner a following of any sort, so why do I even look at my numbers at all? I started blogging simply because I like to write and I like the idea of contributing to an online community. Is this a blog post in itself?)

Feel free to steal this meme.

9 Have-You-Evers:

9. Have you ever liked someone else while you had a girlfriend/boyfriend?
At one point in college and shortly thereafter, I was either dating or had a crush on four men, each of them named Thomas. I married me one of them. It must be Freudian, since my dad's name is Thomas.

8. Have you ever had your heart broken?
Yeah. "Hasn't everyone?"

7. Have you ever been out of the country?
Yes. Canada (barely), Mexico (barely), and Europe (more fully).

6. Have you ever done something outrageously dumb?
Hellloooo? Duh.

5. Have you ever been back stabbed by a friend?
Not that I can recall -- and believe me, this is something I'd recall!

4. Have you ever had the cops called on you?
God no!

3. Have you ever dated someone younger than you?
Oh yes! I was 23, he was 19. The story is here... (And a follow-up, in which I finally meet his wife, 27 years later, is here...)

2. Have you ever read an entire book in one day?
Of course. But I hate it because it's over too quickly. It's crazy -- you read it in one day because it's so good you can't put it down, but you ruin it by reading it that quickly. You could have prolonged the bliss, but noooo... you need that instant gratification. It's your own damn fault. Next time, savor it!

1. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?
Uh, yeah. I should blog about that! Keywords: 95 MPH. Falling asleep. Life saved by cop.

8 Whos:

8. Who was the last person you saw?
My habby (that typo is too funny to fix!) who is still sleepy in the beddy.

7. Who was the last person you kissed?
See #7.

6. Who was the last person you texted?
Elisabeth. Or was it Kat? Maybe Peter? Hmmmm... or Aleks. But definitely not Tom, who I can't turn into a texter (spellcheck is sooo 1999!) no matter how hard I try. He's just text-resistant.

5. Who was the last person to call you?
Kat to tell me that her cell was out of battery. :-)

4. Who is the last person you freaked out on?
Define "freaked out on." I'm generally not a "freak out on" type of person.

3. Whom did you last hug?
Boo, of course. Like, DUH! (Notice that it didn't SAY "what person did you last hug?" That'd be the habby who's sleepy in the beddy.)

2. Whom did you go with to your first school dance?
See this post and scroll down to #16. Ah, memories!

1. Who is your best friend?
Why does this feel like such a loaded question? I guess I have a few best friends. Some are childhood friends from way back, some are from my San Diego days, some are in my extended family, some are my kids now that they're grown, and one is my betrothed.

7 Whens:

7. When was your last shower?
At the gym yesterday after swimming for 45 minutes. I felt like I could swim 45 more! Woo-hoo, I'm getting hooked again!

6. When did you last see your mom or dad?
Mom-- on the day she died, April 11, 2004. Dad -- when he and Lou left our house after a wonderful holiday together, on December 26th.

5. When was the last time you danced?
The last time I formally danced with a partner was at the wedding of Elisabeth's friend Tara. But if you don't tell anyone I'll admit to dancing like a freak-woman every time I clean the house. This helps hugely!

4. When did you get married, or when do you want to?
A looooong time ago, in May 1983.

3. When was the last time you cried?
Well, it wasn't a full-on sob, but Elisabeth and I saw PS I Love You the other day and we both had to fight pretty hard to hold back the tears.

2. When did you last go to the movies and with whom?
See above.

1. When did you last take a vacation and where?
September, 2007, to Germany, with Tom, to be joined by Elisabeth who traveled with me for a week after we sent Tom back home.

6 Wheres:

6. Where do your grandparents live?
Never met a single one of them. My paternal grandmother, who was a non-Jew married to a Jew in 1940's Germany, thus essentially keeping her family alive simply by virtue of her non-Jewishness, died of a brain tumor in 1944, at which point things got dramatically worse for her family. The story -- or rather a post about where the story is written -- is here. My paternal grandfather, the Jew to whom she was married, died in early 1945, leaving my dad an orphan at 16 and my aunt an orphan at 13. I can't even imagine... My mother's mother also died in the war, and her father died in 1969. I remember that she didn't cry when she got that black-bordered envelope in the mail. I have always envied my kids (and anyone) for having grandparents.

5. Where did you last hang out?
Does this count? Last night I met Tom at World Market to look at a dining room table. We decided not to buy it. Then we met Kat for dinner. Does that constitute "hanging out"?

4. Where is your favorite place to be?
You mean geographically? The Bavarian Alps. You mean "place," like... "place"? Our incredibly cozy bed with the incredibly cozy German bedding!

3. Where did you sleep last night?
See above.

2. Where would you like to move?
Nowhere. I love the Pacific Northwest. (Or, if Tom is reading this: Maui, of course! Need you even ask?!)

1. Where were you when Princess Diana died?
We heard about it in the car, driving across the river valley of Kirkland, Washington as we headed to dinner at the Old Country Buffet.

5 Do/Does:

5. Do you like someone right now?
Lots and lots of someones, actually. I'm a "like someone" slut!

4. Do you like your vehicle?
We have a very nice Honda Accord but I miss my Ford Windstar. I know -- no one understands it, except my lonely lost Windstar and me.

3. Do you ever wish you were someone else?
Yeah, my spoiled rotten CAT! Can you blame me?

2. Do you have nightmares?
I do, and Tom can probably tell you all about them because I also tend to talk in my sleep and wake up crying. They always (always!) have to do with feeling disregarded by someone. (<-- Easy fodder for blog-psychoanalysts!)

1. Does the future scare you?
Didn't used to, but this whole being unemployed thing gets to me. By next year when we have three kids in college and one in grad school, I MUST be making LOTS of money. That pressure gets to me, big time.

4 Whys:

4. Why are you best friends with your best friend?
Because we GET each other.

3. Why did you get a MySpace?
Because my kids urged me to. Not sure why they wanted me in their space! But I think they find it amusing that their mom is a geek. (I have Facebook too. Geek, geek, geek!)

2. Why did your parents give you the name you have?
All I can figure is that I was born near the Christmas season. I dunno. It's an ugly name in English, but even uglier in German (Carola), so the whole thing baffles me. My dad wanted to name me Angela after an old girlfriend, but Mom vetoed that idea. Smart mom!

1. Why are you doing this survey?
Lack of morning coffee. Which translates to lack of any of my own ideas or creative thought. I WAS gonna blog about the day we were driving along and a helicopter crashed on the road a few feet in front of us, but I need coffee for that. Stand by.

3 Ifs:

3. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
The power to transport myself to any place and time (and back again, which is very important!) at will.

2. If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you?
Oh, dangerous, dangerous idea. That's fooling with the cosmos, my friend!

1. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could bring one thing, what would it be?
People! (Is that a fair answer?)

2 Would You Evers:

2. Would you ever get back together with your ex?
You mean the man I came closest to marrying before I actually married Tom? Nope, wouldn't. He makes a better friend than a husband!

1. Would you ever shave your head to save someone you love?
Of course! Without a second thought. (And I even like my hair...)

1 Last Question:

1. Are you happy with your life right now?
With the exception of the whole question about my job and career and paying for college and getting old and seeking stuff like youth, wisdom, and absolute fulfillment, absolutely!